No. 9 LSU Faces Road Tests Against No. 13 Texas, No. 3 Texas A&M
BATON ROUGE, La. – No. 9 LSU hits the road to face No. 13 Texas on Friday, March 21, at 2:00 p.m. CT at the Texas Tennis Center. The Tigers then travel down the road to take on No. 3 Texas A&M on Sunday, March 23, at noon CT at the Mitchell Tennis Center.
Last time out, the No. 9 Tigers competed in three matches over the weekend at the LSU Tennis Complex. LSU battled with No. 1 Georgia but suffered a narrow defeat, 4-2. Afterward, the Tigers hosted a doubleheader, first taking down No. 25 South Carolina in a dramatic 4-3 finish after freshman Cadence Brace took down No. 19 Sarah Hamner, 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (8-6). Finally, LSU concluded their weekend with a 7-0 sweep over Jackson State. LSU improved to 16-2 on the season and 6-1 in conference play after the results.
The Bayou Bengals hold an overall record of 57-23 in singles and 33-7 in doubles, highlighted by 10 ranked singles wins and nine ranked doubles victories. In ranked matchups, the Tigers hold a 10-9 singles record and a 9-4 mark in doubles. LSU has secured the doubles point in 16 of its 18 matches this season.
Following her overall 4-1 performance over the weekend, Brace earned her third SEC Freshman of the Week award. 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. The Canadian native has six wins this season on the top spot, including three victories over ranked foes. Brace holds an updated ITA ranking of No. 42 in singles.
Teaming up with freshman Kayla Cross in doubles, the freshmen have owned the top doubles spot, posting an 8-1 record with a 6-0 mark over ranked pairs, with their most recent ranked win coming against Georgia’s top pair, Dasha Vidmanova and Mell Reasco, 6-3. According to the ITA, the pair earned a No. 7 ranking.
Cross owns the second-highest ITA singles ranking on the team at No. 50. She earned her second SEC Freshman of the Week honor after her 3-1 overall record against Alabama on March 7 and Mississippi State on March 9. In singles play, The Canadian boasts a 7-1 mark on the No. 2 spot while also earning a victory on the top spot against Ole Miss on Feb. 23. Cross is currently on a team-leading eight-match winning streak in singles play, with her most recent victories coming against South Carolina’s ranked Kaitlyn Carnicella, 6-2, 1-6, 6-4, and Jackson State’s Zeina Shaaban, 6-0, 6-1.
Freshman Tilwith Di Girolami, ranked No. 102, leads the team with a 13-4 singles record, including a 9-4 mark on Court 3. She also picked up key wins at the No. 1 spot against UL-Lafayette on Jan. 31 and court No. 2 against Ole Miss on Feb. 23. The Belgian standout has secured two ranked wins this season, most notably defeating Tennessee’s Leyla Britez Risso, 6-2, 6-2, on March 2. The freshman clinched the 4-2 dual match over Alabama in a come-from-behind effort over Klara Milicevic, 3-6, 6-1, 6-3.
Di Girolami has succeeded with senior Anita Sahdiieva on the No. 2 doubles courts, where the duo holds a No. 29 ranking. The pair boasts a team-best 12-3 record, highlighted by a resounding 7-6 (12-10) tiebreaker victory over Tennessee’s Catherine Aulia and Britez Risso to clinch the doubles point in LSU’s eventual 4-0 win over the Volunteers. The duo’s most recent victory came over Georgia’s ranked pair of Guillermina Grant and Anastassia Lopata in a 6-0 sweep.
Sahdiieva has excelled in singles, holding a 10-3 record on the season, and went undefeated over the weekend on the fourth and fifth courts against Georgia, South Carolina, and Jackson State. Most notably, Sahdiieva secured a clutch victory over South Carolina’s Bella Larsson, 6-3, 5-7, 7-5, leveling the dual match at 3-3 and setting the stage for LSU’s eventual 4-3 comeback win.
Rounding out doubles play, Gaby Rivera and sophomore Kenna Erickson have a 6-3 record at the third doubles spot, along with two additional wins on the No. 2 court against Tulane on Feb. 13 and over Southern on March 2. Rivera also holds a 5-4 record in singles play. Meanwhile, Erickson moves to 9-2 on the season after downing Jackson State’s Zofia Dziewiecka, 6-1, 6-1.
Sophomore Kinaa Graham carries a 3-2 ranked singles record, highlighted by taking down Marcela Lopez of Oklahoma State, 6-3, 6-0. After losing the doubles point to the Gamecocks, Graham jump-started LSU’s rally as the first singles match to finish, defeating a ranked opponent in Misa Malkin, 6-2, 6-4.
LSU has recorded four victories over Texas in program history and 16 wins over Texas A&M.
Texas holds a 10-6 overall record with a 4-3 record in conference play. The Longhorns hold five ranked singles players: No. 20 Carmen Andreea Herea, No. 51 Sabina Zeynalova, No. 54 Eszter Meri, No. 71 Ariana Anazagasty-Pursoo, and No. 73 Ashton Bowers. In doubles, No. 27 Bowers and Pursoo and No. 48 Bowers and Zeynalova lead the way. In his ninth season, Texas is coached by Howard Joffe.
The reigning national champion Texas A&M Aggies boasts a 15-2 record with a 6-1 mark in SEC play this season. The Aggies also hold five ranked singles players, with No. 2 Mary Stoiana leading the way. Furthermore, No. 17 Nicole Khirin, No. 40 Lucciana Perez, No. 61 Mia Kupres, and No. 80 Daria Smetannikov round out ranked singles involvement. In doubles, Texas A&M is represented by No. 33 Perez and Stoiana, along with No. 79 Kupres and Stoiana. The Aggies are led by Mark Weaver in his 10th season at the helm.
For more information on the LSU women’s tennis program, follow the Tigers on X @lsuwten, Instagram @LSUWTen, and Facebook.com/lsuwten.