No. 5 LSU Advances to ITA National Indoor Team Championship; Eliminates No. 18 UCLA, 4-1

BATON ROUGE, La. – Freshman Carolina Kuhl delivered a 6-2, 7-6(0) result on the fourth court to lift the No. 5 LSU women’s tennis team to the ITA National Indoor Team Championships, downing No. 18 UCLA, 4-1, on Sunday afternoon at the LSU Tennis Complex.

LSU improves to 4-0 while UCLA falls to 2-2 on the campaign.

The Tigers secured a berth in the ITA National Indoor Team Championships for the second straight season, marking the first back-to-back appearances in program history and the fourth overall (2016, 2019, 2025, 2026).

“Very proud of our team for their performance today,” said head coach Taylor Fogleman. “Due to the weather, we had to play indoors, and the match was reminiscent of our Indoor Team Championship bout with UCLA last season. UCLA is a great program and extremely well-coached. I think they played better than us at certain points in the doubles, which was a huge credit to them. But, in the same breath, I was enthused by the girl’s response to that point of adversity in the singles. In singles, our team performed well, and we kept our foot on the gas, which ultimately got us the result.”

When looking ahead, coach Fogleman stated, “We are thrilled for the opportunity to play some of the best teams in the country and look forward to the test. Now, we get a little rest and take advantage of the time we have to improve on certain aspects and also look at some things we are doing well to get ready for our slate of matches at the Indoor Team Championships.”

Kenna Erickson and Ella McDonald opened doubles play on the second court against Ahmani Guichard and Anne-Christine Lutkemeyer. In a back-and-forth affair to start the match, Erickson and McDonald pulled ahead after consecutive ties to close the set out with a 6-2 victory.

Cadence Brace and Kayla Cross were next up as they challenged Olivia Center and Kate Fakih on the top doubles spot. The sophomore duo fell behind early at 3-0, but battled back to make it 3-2. However, they were unable to rally and later dropped the set 6-4.

With the doubles point on the line, Carolina Kuhl and Addison Lanton took on Kayla Chung and Mayu Crossley on Court No. 3. In a match that featured three lead changes and five ties that led to a seven-point tie-breaker, Kuhl and Lanton narrowly lost the set at 7-6(6) to award UCLA the doubles point.

Looking to rally, No. 78 Lanton took on Center on the sixth spot. The freshman fell behind 3-0 early in the set, but found her form and posted a dominant finish, taking the next 12 of 13 games in the straight-set result, highlighted by a 6-0 sweep, to tie the dual match at 1-1.

McDonald was up next as she looked to push LSU ahead in the match, challenging No. 75 Fakih on Court No. 3. LSU’s newest signing only dropped two games en route to a 6-2 first-set win. In the following set, Fakih would rally and take a 2-1 advantage before McDonald tied the set at 2-2 and 3-3 before surging ahead for a 6-3 victory to give LSU a 2-1 match advantage.

Cross aimed to earn her first singles result of the season against Crossley on the second court. The sophomore took the first game in the set before falling behind at 3-1. Afterwards, Cross took four straight games for a 5-4 advantage. Crossley attempted to rally; however, the Canadian native closed the set out with a 6-4 result. Cross trailed 2-0 in the following set before jumping ahead for a 4-2 advantage. UCLA’s second option would cut into the lead at 4-3 before Cross earned the 6-3 set victory to give LSU a 3-1 lead.

In a position to clinch the match, Kuhl faced off with Guichard on Court No. 4. Guichard stole the opening game before Kuhl took a 3-1 advantage, later closing the set out with a 6-2 win. However, Guichard continued to battle in a second set that featured two ties and three lead changes, sending the match into a seven-point tie-breaker, where the German native posted a dominant 7-6(0) set victory to clinch the match result.

Up Next

LSU hosts an in-state doubleheader on Feb. 2 against Southern at 11:00 a.m. CT, followed by Tulane at 4:00 p.m. CT.

For more information on the LSU women’s tennis program, follow the Tigers on X @lsuwten, Instagram @LSUWTen, and Facebook.com/lsuwten.

UCLA vs LSU
Jan 25, 2026 at Baton Rouge, LA
LSU Tennis Complex
#5 LSU 4, #18 UCLA 1

Singles competition
1. Cadence Brace (LSU) vs. A. Lutkemeyer (UCLA) 7-6 (8-6), 3-1, unfinished
2. Kayla Cross (LSU) def. Mayu Crossley (UCLA) 6-4, 6-3
3. Ella McDonald (LSU) def. #75 Kate Fakih (UCLA) 6-2, 6-3
4. Carolina Kuhl (LSU) def. Ahmani Guichard (UCLA) 6-2, 7-6 (7-0)
5. Florentine Dekkers (LSU) vs. Bianca Fernandez (UCLA) 5-7, 6-6 (2-4), unfinished
6. #78 Addison Lanton (LSU) def. Olivia Center (UCLA) 6-4, 6-0

Doubles competition
1. Cadence Brace/Kayla Cross (LSU) fell to Olivia Center/Kate Fakih (UCLA) 4-6
2. Kenna Erickson/Ella McDonald (LSU) def. Ahmani Guichard/A. Lutkemeyer (UCLA) 6-2
3. Carolina Kuhl/Addison Lanton (LSU) fell to Kayla Chung/Mayu Crossley (UCLA) 6-7 (6-8)

Match Notes:
LSU 4-0; National ranking #5
UCLA 2-2; National ranking #18
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1,3); Singles (6,3,2,4)
Official: Richie Weaver