BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – LSU Women’s Tennis freshman Cadence Brace has been named SEC Freshman of the Week for the third time this season after posting a 4-1 overall record in singles and doubles play against No. 1 Georgia, No. 25 South Carolina, and Jackson State, the league office announced Wednesday.
Brace earned her first honor on Feb. 12 following her performance at the ITA National Indoor Championships and again on March 5 after securing wins against Kentucky and Tennessee.
Holding an updated ITA ranking of No. 42 in singles and No. 7 in doubles with fellow freshman Kayla Cross, Brace played an important role in LSU’s recent matches. Facing No. 1 Georgia, Brace faced a tough singles loss to the nation’s top-ranked player, Dasha Vidmanova. However, she performed well in doubles play, partnering with Cross to down the Georgia duo of No. 13 Mell Reasco and Vidmanova, 6-3, securing the doubles point for LSU. The Tigers have earned 16 doubles points this season.
Against No. 25 South Carolina, Brace and Cross were in a close doubles match against No. 36 Kaitlyn Carnicella and Sarah Hamner before play was left unfinished at 4-5. In singles, Brace posted a statement win over No. 19 Hamner. The freshman raced to a 4-0 lead in the first set and fended off a comeback attempt to take it 6-4. After an intense second set saw Hamner force a deciding set, Brace was in a back-and-forth battle, hoping to seal the match. The freshman held her first lead in the third set at 5-4. However, Hamner would force a seven-point tiebreaker to conclude the match. Brace trailed 5-6 in a winner-takes-all tiebreaker but found her form, winning the last three points to clinch a highlight 7-6(6) victory, sealing LSU’s 4-3 comeback win.
Brace dominated against Jackson State to cap off the weekend, teaming with Cross to sweep their doubles match 6-0 over Paula Corbalan and Zeina Shaaban. She carried that momentum into singles, delivering a 6-0, 6-1 win against Corbalan.
The Canadian native has earned six singles wins on the top spot this season, including three victories over ranked opponents and a 9-1 doubles record featuring a 6-0 mark against nationally ranked pairs.
Brace and the Tigers return to action on the road against No. 13 Texas on Friday, March 21, at 2:00 p.m. CT at the Texas Tennis Center. Afterward, LSU faces No. 3 Texas A&M on Sunday, March 23, at 12:00 p.m. CT at the Mitchell Tennis Center.
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