No. 9 LSU Secures 4-3 Comeback Victory Over No. 25 South Carolina, Sweeps Jackson State, 7-0

BATON ROUGE, La. – Freshman Cadence Brace earned a 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(6) victory on Court No. 1 as No. 9 LSU triumphed over No. 25 South Carolina, 4-3, followed by a 7-0 win over Jackson State on Sunday at the LSU Tennis Complex.

“Facing South Carolina, honestly, was the exact inverse of what we experienced on Friday,” said Head Coach Taylor Fogleman. “As much as the doubles went our way on Friday, they did not go our way today. South Carolina tested us and proved to be a competitive match. Head Coach Kevin Epley has done a tremendous job with the program. It was a windy day, and despite that, our girls showed tremendous grit and fight. But credit to South Carolina all the way through; they kept coming back, and a photo finish went in our favor. I am happy the girls got over the line against South Carolina.”

Coach Fogleman added that when speaking about the match over Jackson State and looking forward, “Against Jackson State, I was incredibly pleased after such a long match against South Carolina with the girls focus, they took care of business exceptionally well. It was a positive day for us and one we can build along. We’ll need to focus as we go into two more away SEC matches at Texas and Texas A&M, so we’ll rest up and get some practice in, and then hopefully, we’ll be ready for two more difficult contests next week.”

LSU improves to 16-2 overall and 6-1 in SEC play, South Carolina drops to 9-6 and 4-3 in the conference, while Jackson State falls to 5-8.

Match One

LSU began their day with No. 25 Tilwith Di Girolami and Anita Sahdiieva competing in the No. 2 spot against South Carolina’s Olympe Lancelot and Bella Bergqvist Larsson. After trailing 3-0, Di Girolami and Sahdiieva managed to take a game but dropped the next three, losing the set 6-1.

In a back-and-forth affair, Kenna Erickson and Gaby Rivera battled against Helena Buchwald and Lauren Friedman on the third court. The set, which saw three lead changes and ties, remained contested until knotted at 3-3. From there, Buchwald and Friedman claimed three of the final four games to secure a 6-4 victory, clinching the doubles point for South Carolina.

Sophomore Kinaa Graham opened singles play over No. 93 Misa Malkin on the No. 4 court. Graham trailed 2-0 before winning six straight games to secure the set at 6-2. In the following set, the sophomore jumped to a 4-0 lead; however, Malkin tied the set at 4-4 before Graham won the final two games to earn the 6-4 set result and LSU’s first singles point.

Rivera competed against her doubles opponent Buchwald on Court No. 6. Rivera trailed 4-0 early but would take a game. However, Buchwald secured the final two games to win the set 6-1. After trailing 3-1, Rivera surged for a 4-3 lead and then a 6-5 lead before Buchwald forced a tiebreaker set, in which she won 7-6(1), giving South Carolina a 2-1 lead.

Looking to secure a result over her doubles opponent, No. 65 Di Girolami took on Lancelot on the third court. In a first set featuring two lead changes and three ties until level 3-3, Lancelot broke away by securing the last three of four games to win the set 6-4. Di Girolami would start the set tied with Lancelot at 1-1, then fell behind 1-3, but came back to tie it 3-3 before dropping the final three games to lose 6-3 and put South Carolina up 3-1.

Needing to keep LSU in the match, No. 63 Kayla Cross faced No. 92 Kaitlyn Carnicella in the No. 2 spot. Cross trailed 2-0 in the set before winning six straight games to earn a 6-2 first set result. Afterward, Cross fell behind 4-0 in the next set, in which Carnicella secured the final two of three games to win 6-1, forcing a third set. Cross extended an early 1-0 lead to 3-1 before the match leveled at 3-3. Regaining momentum, Cross pulled ahead 5-3 and closed out the set 6-4, shifting the match score to 3-2

Sahdiieva took on her doubles opponent, Larsson, on Court No. 5 in hopes of tying the dual match. The senior took a 3-0 lead, and despite Larsson tying at 3-3, the senior remained composed and secured the 6-3 win. After holding a 4-2 lead in the second set, Sahdiieva dropped the next five of six games to fall 7-5, forcing a deciding set. The Ukranian held a 2-0 lead to open the set before Larsson took the next four games to go up 4-2. However, Sahdiieva would not go away quietly, forcing a 4-4 and eventual 5-5 tie, taking the final two games to win the set 7-5, tying the dual match at 3-3.

With all eyes on the top spot, No. 54 Brace battled with No. 19 Sarah Hamner. The freshman led 4-0 in the opening set and extended to 5-1 later. Despite Hamner forging a comeback, Brace secured the set at 6-4. The Canadian held a 3-1, then a 4-2 advantage in the following set. However, Hamner would tie at 4-4, then edge Brace out to win the set 6-4, forcing a third set. In a back-and-forth final set, Brace took her first lead at 5-4, then tied at 6-6, forcing a seven-point tiebreaker, in which Brace, after trailing 5-6, took the last three points to earn the 7-6(6) win to award LSU the 4-3 comeback victory.

Match Two

Brace and Cross opened doubles play over Paula Corbalan and Zeina Shaaban. The LSU freshman pair left no doubt on the top spot, earning a 6-0 sweep.

Erickson and Indi Patel took charge on Court No. 3 over Zofia Dziewiecka and Daniella Tovar. The LSU pair fell behind 0-1 but quickly turned the tide, securing six straight games to close out a 6-1 set victory, awarding LSU the doubles point.

After the Tigers secured the doubles point, Brace took on Paula Corbalan on the top singles court. The freshman dominated the first set with a 6-0 sweep and held an early 2-1 lead in the second. From there, the Canadian won the final four games to secure the victory, extending LSU’s lead to 2-0

Next up, Erickson faced Zofia Dziewiecka on the No. 5 court. Despite trading games in the beginning, Erickson held a 2-1 advantage and won four straight to earn a 6-1 set victory. In the following set, after leading 3-0, the sophomore took the final three of four games for another 6-1 victory, boosting LSU’s advantage to 3-0.

On the second court, Cross faced Zeina Shaaban. The Canadian swept the first set 6-0 and dropped just one game in the second, cruising to a 6-1 victory. Cross secured the match with the win and clinched LSU’s 4-0 victory. After the result, the rest of the matches continued to play out.

With the match already decided, Sahdiieva took on Isabela Benavides at the No. 4 spot. The Ukrainian swept the first set 6-0 and quickly built a 3-0 lead in the second. She then won three of the following four games to secure a 6-1 victory, extending LSU’s lead to 5-0.

On Court No. 3, Di Girolami took on Kayleigh Didderiens. Di Girolami built an early 2-1 lead, extended it to 4-1, and later moved ahead 5-2 before closing out the first set 6-2. The freshman raced to a 3-0 lead in the following set before securing the Tigers’ fifth 6-0 sweep of the match, bolstering LSU’s lead to 6-0.

Patel set her sights on Chiara Desia on the No. 6 court to close the match. The freshman jumped to a 3-0 lead in the first set and maintained control, winning three of the last five games to secure a 6-2 victory. In the second set, Patel briefly trailed 0-1 before leveling at 1-1. She then won five straight games, held off a late push at 5-2, and secured a 6-2 set victory to seal the dual match with a 7-0 sweep. The result marks Patel’s first victory of the spring campaign,

LSU vs. South Carolina
March 16, 2025
LSU Tennis Complex
No. 9 LSU 4, No. 25 South Carolina 3

Singles
1. #54 Cadence Brace (LSU) def. #19 Sarah Hamner (SC) 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (8-6)
2. #63 Kayla Cross (LSU) def. #92 Kaitlyn Carnicella (SC) 6-2, 1-6, 6-4
3. #65 Tilwith Di Girolami (LSU) fell to Olympe Lancelot (SC) 4-6, 3-6
4. Kinaa Graham (LSU) def. #93 Misa Malkin (SC) 6-2, 6-4
5. Anita Sahdiieva (LSU) def. Bella Larsson (SC) 6-3, 5-7, 7-5
6. Gaby Rivera (LSU) fell to Helena Buchwald (SC) 1-6, 6-7(1)

Doubles
1. #11 Cadence Brace/Kayla Cross (LSU) vs. #36 Kaitlyn Carnicella/Sarah Hamner (SC) 4-5, DNF
2. #25 Tilwith Di Girolami/Anita Sahdiieva (LSU) fell to Olympe Lancelot/Bella Larsson (SC) 1-6
3. Kenna Erickson/Gaby Rivera (LSU) fell to Helena Buchwald/Lauren Friedman (SC) 4-6

Match Notes:
LSU 15-2; National ranking #9
South Carolina 9-6; National ranking #25
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3); Singles (4,6,3,2,5,1)
T-3:47

LSU vs. Jackson State
March 16, 2025
LSU Tennis Complex
No. 9 LSU 7, Jackson State 0

Singles
1. #54 Cadence Brace (LSU) def. Paula Corbalan (JSU) 6-0, 6-1
2. #63 Kayla Cross (LSU) def. Zeina Shaaban (JSU) 6-0, 6-1
3. #65 Tilwith Di Girolami (LSU) def. Kayleigh Didderiens (JSU) 6-2, 6-0
4. Anita Sahdiieva (LSU) def. Isabela Benavides (JSU) 6-0, 6-1
5. Kenna Erickson (LSU) def. Zofia Dziewiecka (JSU) 6-1, 6-1
6. Indi Patel (LSU) def. Chiara Desia (JSU) 6-2, 6-2

Doubles
1. #11 Cadence Brace/Kayla Cross (LSU) def. Paula Corbalan/Zeina Shaaban (JSU) 6-0
2. #25 Tilwith Di Girolami/Anita Sahdiieva (LSU) vs. Isabela Benavides/Kayleigh Didderiens (JSU) 3-1, DNF
3. Kenna Erickson/Indi Patel (LSU) def. Zofia Dziewiecka/Daniella Tovar (JSU) 6-1

Match Notes:
LSU 16-2; National ranking #9
Jackson State 5-8
Order of finish: Doubles (1,3); Singles (1,5,2,4,3,6)
T-1:36

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