AUBURN, Ala. – No. 6-seed LSU bowed out of the SEC Tournament after being denied a rally, falling to No. 3-seed Oklahoma, 4-1, on Friday at the Yarbrough Tennis Center
LSU drops to 21-7 overall, while Oklahoma moves to 19-5.
“Oklahoma deserves credit for the match today as they executed better and earned the win,” said Head Coach Taylor Fogleman. “We certainly had many opportunities in the doubles and could not convert those, which is unfortunate. In the singles, I was very impressed with the performance Cadence (Brace) had at line one, but we were unable to capitalize on most of the other courts. We either got off to a slow start or had trouble closing sets out, and against a talented team like Oklahoma, those things must happen to be successful. Though we are disappointed with the result, I am certainly not disappointed in where this team can go in the NCAA Tournament. We certainly have a few things we’ll continue to work on that need improvement, coupled with some rest and time at home, but I like what our chances are as we move further along in the postseason.”
No. 3 Cadence Brace and Kayla Cross started doubles play on the top court against No. 36 Julia Garcia Ruiz and Alina Shcherbinina. After taking the first game, Brace and Cross fell behind 2-1 before regaining the lead at 3-2 in the lone set. However, Garcia Ruiz and Shcherbinina took the final four games to down the freshman pair 6-3.
No. 65 Kenna Erickson and Anita Sahdiieva looked to respond for the Tigers against Chloe Noel and Salakthip Ounmang on Court No. 2. Erickson and Sahdiieva dropped the first game but responded with a productive stretch to take a 3-1 lead. Noel and Ounmang cut into the lead at 3-2 and later at 5-4, but Erickson and Sahdiieva were able to close out the set with a 6-4 win.
Tilwith Di Girolami and Gaby Rivera took on Ava Catanzarite and Gloriana Nahum in the No. 3 spot for the doubles point. In a competitive back-and-forth set, with each pairing trading games behind five ties, Di Girolami and Rivera fell short and dropped the set 7-5, awarding Oklahoma the doubles point.
Erickson began singles play as she took on Nahum on the sixth court. After dropping the first set 6-0, Erickson fell behind 2-0 in the following set. She took a game to cut the margin to 2-1 but ultimately dropped the set 6-1, increasing Oklahoma’s lead to 2-0.
No. 15 Brace stepped to the top spot to face off with her doubles opponent, No. 32 Shcherbinina, in which she took a quick 4-0 first-set lead. Shcherbinina would take a game, but Brace secured the final two games to post a 6-1 set win. The Canadian native dominated the second set with a 6-0 sweep to narrow Oklahoma’s lead at 2-1.
Kinaa Graham was next for the Tigers as she battled Catanzarite on Court No. 5. In a back-and-forth first set with three lead changes and two ties, Graham took her first lead at 4-3 before Catanzarite took the final three games to down the sophomore 6-4. The second set opened at 1-1 before Catanzarite took a 3-2 lead. Graham could not rally and dropped the set 6-2, giving Oklahoma a 3-1 advantage.
Needing a result, Sahdiieva competed on the fourth court against No. 66 Emma Staker. The senior fell behind 4-0 in the opening set and later dropped it 6-1. In the next set, Sahdiieva responded after dropping the first two games by taking a 3-2 lead. However, Staker regained momentum to go up 5-3. Sahdiieva would attempt a rally by taking a game, but Staker denied the chance to close out the set 6-4 to clinch the match for Oklahoma.
For more information on the LSU Women’s Tennis program, follow the Tigers on X @lsuwten, Instagram @LSUWTen, and Facebook.com/lsuwten.
LSU vs. Oklahoma
April 18, 2025
Yarbrough Tennis Center
No. 11 LSU 1, No. 5 Oklahoma 4
Singles
1. #15 Cadence Brace (LSU) def. #32 Alina Shcherbinina (OU) 6-1, 6-0
2. #48 Kayla Cross (LSU) vs. #29 Julia Garcia Ruiz (OU) 6-4, 1-6, 3-0, DNF
3. Tilwith Di Girolami (LSU) vs. Salakthip Ounmuang (OU) 5-7, 4-3, DNF
4. Anita Sahdiieva (LSU) fell to #66 Emma Staker (OU) 1-6, 4-6
5. Kinaa Graham (LSU) fell to Ava Catanzarite (OU) 4-6, 2-6
6. Kenna Erickson (LSU) fell to Gloriana Nahum (OU) 0-6, 1-6
Doubles
1. #3 Cadence Brace/Kayla Cross (LSU) fell to #36 Julia Garcia Ruiz/Alina Shcherbinina (OU) 3-6
2. #65 Kenna Erickson/Anita Sahdiieva (LSU) def. Chloe Noel/Salakthip Ounmuang (OU) 6-4
3. Tilwith Di Girolami/Gaby Rivera (LSU) fell to Ava Catanzarite/Gloriana Nahum (OU) 5-7
Match Notes:
LSU 20-7 (10-5 SEC); National ranking #11
Oklahoma 19-5 (11-4 SEC); National ranking #5
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2,3); Singles (6,1,5,4)