NASHVILLE, Tenn. – No. 6 LSU dropped its matchup to No. 16 Vanderbilt, 5-2, on Friday at the Brownlee O. Currey Jr. Tennis Center.
LSU falls to 17-4 overall and 7-3 in the SEC, while Vanderbilt moves to 14-4 and 7-3 in league play.
“We give a lot of credit to Vanderbilt for their performance today,” said Head Coach Taylor Fogleman. “Head Coach Aleke Tsoubanos and her staff have done a great job with the program for several years. The ladies came out quite well in doubles despite having new lineup adjustments. We held leads on all three courts, but unfortunately, we couldn’t sustain the results going into singles. There was a certain point in singles where I believed we would take all four first sets at the top positions, but Vanderbilt played well in those situations to compete against our girls. I was pleased with Cadence Brace and Anita Sahdiieva for closing out their matches. Beyond those two, I believed the rest of our girls were in winning positions, but we were unable to secure the result. Today’s match was a learning experience, and we will get better because of it. Now, we get to travel home to rest and prepare for a home match on Sunday against a well-coached team in Missouri.”
Tilwith Di Girolami and Gaby Rivera teamed for the first time this season as they opened doubles play over Amy Stevens and Sonya Macavei. After consecutive ties at 1-1, then 2-2, Di Girolami and Rivera jumped ahead for a 4-2 lead. However, Stevens and Macavei took four straight games to down the LSU pair 6-4.
Making their season debut as a duo on the top spot, Kenna Erickson and Sahdiieva faced No. 14 Celia-Belle Mohr and Sophia Webster. After splitting the first two games, the LSU pair surged for a 5-1 lead. Mohr and Webster mounted a late rally, but Erickson and Sahdiieva denied their momentum, closing the set with a 6-3 win.
Brace and Kinaa Graham resumed their partnership on Court No. 2 to take on Valeria Ray and Bridget Stammel in the deciding doubles match. Amid early ties at 1-1 and 2-2, Brace and Graham slipped to a 4-2 deficit before leveling at 4-4. Despite a push, the LSU pair dropped the set 6-4, awarding Vanderbilt the doubles point.
Following her doubles match, No. 42 Brace opened solo play against No. 11 Mohr. Brace earned early leads at 1-0 and 2-1 before Mohr leveled the set at 2-2. From there, the freshman surged for a 5-2 advantage. Mohr responded with a late push, but Brace took the set, 6-3. Brace trailed 2-1 in the second set before gaining momentum to go up 3-2. The freshman later held a 4-3 lead but slipped behind 5-4. Facing match point, the Canadian took the final three games to claim the set 7-5 and tie the dual match 1-1.
Looking to increase LSU’s advantage, Graham occupied the No. 3 spot for the first time this season over her doubles opponent, No. 44 Stammel. In a back-and-forth first set with four ties until a seven-point-tiebreaker, Graham narrowly fell in a competitive set, 6-7(11). The sophomore trailed 2-0 in the following set before jumping ahead 3-2. However, Stammel gained momentum and won the set 6-3, pushing Vanderbilt ahead at 2-1.
On Court No. 5, Sahdiieva battled with Trinetra Vijayakumar. The senior led 2-1 before trailing as much as 4-2, eventually dropping the set 6-3. Sahdiieva responded well in the second set, leading 3-1 after a 1-0 deficit. Following the advantage, the senior took the final three of four games to take the set 6-2. Sahdiieva trailed 1-0 in the deciding set before taking a 3-1 lead. Vijayakumar cut into the senior’s lead, but the Ukranian pushed ahead 4-2 and later closed out the set for a 6-3 win, tying the dual match 2-2.
Di Girolami took on No. 56 Ray on the No. 4 court. The No. 102 freshman held a 4-1 lead in the opening set before surrendering four straight games to hold a 5-4 deficit. Di Girolami then pushed ahead, taking the final three games to win the set 7-5. In the second set, the freshman led early at 3-1, but Ray pulled ahead 5-3. Di Girolami cut the deficit to 5-4 but ultimately dropped the set 6-4. Di Girolami fell behind 4-0 in the deciding set and could not recover, falling 6-1, giving Vanderbilt a 3-2 match lead.
Erickson faced her doubles opponent, Webster, on the No. 5 spot. The sophomore fell behind 2-0 before taking a game but couldn’t build momentum and dropped the set 6-1. Erickson opened the second set with a 1-0 lead, then trailed 2-1 before leveling it at 2-2. Webster then took the final four games for a 6-2 set result, clinching Vanderbilt’s 4-2 match victory.
With the final match being played out, Indi Patel made her SEC debut against Stevens on Court No. 6. The freshman trailed 2-0 but got on the board at 2-1. Stevens denied a rally by downing Patel 6-1. In the next set, Patel pushed ahead 3-1, but Stevens rallied to take a 4-3 advantage. The freshman leveled at 4-4, but Stevens took the final two games at 6-4 to conclude the match.
LSU vs. Vanderbilt
March 28, 2025
Brownlee O. Currey Jr. Tennis Center
No. 6 LSU 2, No. 16 Vanderbilt 5
Singles
1. #42 Cadence Brace (LSU) def. #11 Celia-Belle Mohr (VANDY) 6-3, 7-5
2. #102 Tilwith Di Girolami (LSU) fell to #56 Valeria Ray (VANDY) 7-5, 4-6, 1-6
3. Kinaa Graham (LSU) fell to Bridget Stammel (VANDY) 6-7(11-13), 3-6
4. Anita Sahdiieva (LSU) def. Trinetra Vijayakumar (VANDY) 3-6, 6-2, 6-3
5. Kenna Erickson (LSU) fell to Sophia Webster (VANDY) 1-6, 2-6
6. Indi Patel (LSU) fell to Amy Stevens (VANDY) 2-6, 4-6
Doubles
1. Kenna Erickson/Anita Sahdiieva (LSU) def. #14 Celia-Belle Mohr/Sophia Webster (VANDY) 6-3
2. Cadence Brace/Kinaa Graham (LSU) fell to Valeria Ray/Bridget Stammel (VANDY) 4-6
3. Tilwith Di Girolami/Gaby Rivera (LSU) fell to Sonya Macavei/Amy Stevens (VANDY) 4-6
Match Notes:
LSU 17-4, 7-3 SEC; National ranking #6
Vanderbilt 14-4, 7-3 SEC; National ranking #16
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1,2); Singles (1,3,4,2,5,6)
For more information on the LSU Women’s Tennis program, follow the Tigers on X @lsuwten, Instagram @LSUWTen, and Facebook.com/lsuwten.