GAINESVILLE, Fla. – No. 11 LSU earned a hard-fought 4-2 win over Florida on Friday at the Alfred A. Ring Tennis Complex.
LSU moves to 20-5 overall and 10-4 in the SEC, while Florida fell to 8-12 and 4-10 in the conference. The victory marked LSU’s 10th SEC win this season, establishing a new program record, surpassing the previous high of nine achieved in 2021.
“Today was a crazy match with the weather and delays, but the ladies handled the setbacks well tonight,” said Head Coach Taylor Fogleman. “We came out very well at the start of the doubles, but Florida battled and challenged us, but we were able to get over the line. In singles, we did get off to some fast starts on some courts and fell behind in others, but the girls continued to push through despite close contests with Florida. That’s a credit to them and Head Coach Per Nilsson. Even in his first year, he is doing a great job and will run a great program here like he has everywhere he’s been.”
When discussing the end of the match, he added, “We showed a lot of guts down the stretch, especially with Cadence (Brace) taking down an excellent player. Then Gaby (Rivera) got us over the finish line with a dominating performance. The ladies dealt with a lot of adversity and handled themselves very well, so we will take the result. Now, we will get as much rest as we can and get ready to take on Auburn on Sunday.”
Tilwith Di Girolami and Rivera began their day on the third court against Noemie Oliveras and Reagan Parker. The LSU duo started well with a 4-0 lead before Oliveras and Parker battled back to alter the score to 4-2. Despite Florida’s push, Di Girolami and Rivera sealed a 6-3 win. The Tiger pairing now holds a four-match winning streak.
Brace and Kinaa Graham took on No. 32 Alicia Dudeney and Bente Spee on the top spot. Brace and Graham took a 1-0 lead but fell behind before tying the set at 2-2. However, Dudeney and Spee strung together a few games to take a 5-2 lead. Brace and Graham attempted to rally but ultimately fell 6-4.
In the final match for the doubles point, No. 71 Kenna Erickson and Anita Sahdiieva competed on the No. 2 spot over Rachel Gailis and Talia Neilson-Gatenby. The ranked LSU pair dropped the first game but surged for a 5-1 advantage. Gailis and Neilson-Gatenby battled back to cut it to 5-4, but Erickson and Sahdiieva stayed composed to close out the set with a 6-4 win, giving LSU a 1-0 lead.
Due to weather conditions, after the first set of singles play, the match was delayed for an hour and a half before play resumed on Florida’s indoor courts.
Di Girolami opened singles play on the second spot against No. 57 Dudeney. The freshman edged Dudeney in a competitive opening set, taking it 6-4. Di Girolami would take a game in the second set but later fell 6-1. The third set followed a similar pattern, with the freshman falling 6-1, tying the dual match at 1-1.
After clinching the doubles point, Sahdiieva faced Spee on Court No. 3. The LSU senior started strong in the first set but fell 6-3. Despite Florida gaining momentum, Sahdiieva bolted past Spee to take the second set 6-2. In the deciding set, the Ukraine native took an early lead and never looked back, sealing the set with a 6-3 win, giving LSU a 2-1 lead. Sahdiieva improves to 6-1 in her last seven matches.
Looking to maintain LSU’s lead, Graham competed on the fourth court against Neilson-Gatenby. The sophomore started the set in front but later fell 6-3. The second set mirrored the first as Graham could not rally, dropping the set 6-3 as Florida tied the match at 2-2.
No. 21 Brace looked to make a statement after falling short in doubles play, taking on No. 27 Gailis on the top spot. The freshman handled Gailis in the opening set after gaining an early lead, later securing the 6-2 result. Though reeling, Gailis would not go away quietly in the second set as Brace battled but eventually dropped the set 6-4. In a back-and-forth final set, the Canadian sat Gailis down for the 7-5 set win, giving LSU a 3-2 advantage. The result marks the freshman’s sixth-ranked win on the season.
Needing one more win to clinch the match for LSU, Rivera squared off with Parker on Court No. 6. The fifth-year senior took an early lead in the opening set and held firm, closing it out for a 6-2 win. In the second set, the Guatemala native closed the door on the match with a 6-0 sweep to clinch the match victory.
LSU concludes its regular season on the road against Auburn at the Yarbrough Tennis Center on Sunday, Apr. 13, at noon CT.
For more information on the LSU Women’s Tennis program, follow the Tigers on X @lsuwten, Instagram @LSUWTen, and Facebook.com/lsuwten.
LSU vs. Florida
April 11, 2025
Alfred A. Ring Tennis Complex
No. 11 LSU 4, Florida 2
Singles
1. #21 Cadence Brace (LSU) def. #27 Rachel Gailis (UF) 6-2, 4-6, 7-5
2. Tilwith Di Girolami (LSU) fell to #57 Alicia Dudeney (UF) 6-4, 1-6, 1-6
3. Anita Sahdiieva (LSU) def. Bente Spee (UF) 3-6, 6-2, 6-3
4. Kinaa Graham (LSU) fell to Talia NeilsonGatenby (UF) 3-6, 3-6
5. Kenna Erickson (LSU) vs. Noemie Oliveras (UF)2-6, 2-5, DNF
6. Gaby Rivera (LSU) def. Reagan Parker (UF) 6-2, 6-0
Doubles
1. Cadence Brace/Kinaa Graham (LSU) fell to #32 Bente Spee/Alicia Dudeney (UF) 4-6
2. #71 Kenna Erickson/Anita Sahdiieva (LSU) def. Talia NeilsonGatenby/Rachel Gailis (UF) 6-4
3. Tilwith Di Girolami/Gaby Rivera (LSU) def. Reagan Parker/Noemie Oliveras (UF) 6-3
Match Notes:
LSU 20-5; National ranking #11
Florida 8-12; National ranking #36
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1,2); Singles (2,3,4,1,6)