EVANSTON, Ill. – Sophomore Cadence Brace earned a 4-6, 6-0, 6-3 result on the top spot as the No. 5 LSU women’s tennis team powered past No. 9 NC State, 4-2, on Sunday morning at the Combe Tennis Center.
LSU improves to 7-1 while NC State is now 6-3.
“Incredibly proud of the ladies for their effort today,” said head coach Taylor Fogleman. “I knew how the group would respond after a tough go yesterday, but to have them compete the way that they did across the board today was really encouraging. Doubles was tough and competitive, but we were able to get the result in the end. In singles, there were battles on every court. Each court saw multiple ties and lead changes, but ultimately, we earned enough points to get the result against an excellent team in NC State. I believe this tournament was very positive for us and that we can take a lot of good things from it, while also identifying areas we can work on.”
When asked about the next stage of the season, coach Fogleman added, “Now we have the opportunity to rest, get healthy, and turn our attention to what could be one of the toughest SEC seasons in recent memory. But, very proud of the ladies for their effort this weekend, and it’s a good day to be a Tiger.”
Addison Lanton and Kinaa Graham opened doubles play on the second court against No. 16 Jasmine Conway and Anna Zyryanova. The LSU pair found themselves down 4-0 early. Graham and Lanton would cut into the lead at 5-2, but ultimately drop the set 6-2.
With their backs against the wall, Carolina Kuhl and Alexia Marginean took on Mia Slama and Lavinia Tanasie on court No. 3. Kuhl and Marginean dropped the first two games before tying the set at 2-2 and later 3-3. Afterwards, the LSU duo captured the final three games to win the set 6-3.
In a position to clinch the doubles point, Kayla Cross and Ella McDonald teamed for the first time this season to take on NC State’s top option in No. 2 Gabriella Broadfoot and Victoria Osuigwe. In a back-and-forth affair that featured four ties and three lead changes, Cross and McDonald battled to force a seven-point tiebreaker after trailing 6-5. In the breaker, the LSU duo jumped out to a 5-3 lead before Broadfoot and Osuigwe battled back to even the score at 6-6. Cross and McDonald then shut down the rally, earning a 7-6(6) set victory to secure the doubles point for LSU.
Kuhl opened singles play against doubles foe No. 18 Tanasie on court No. 4. The freshman opened the set with a 1-1 tie before Tanasie took the set 6-1. In the second set, Kuhl jumped out to a 2-1 and later 4-2 lead before ultimately falling short and dropping the set 6-4 to level the dual match at 1-1.
No. 92 Graham was next for the Tigers against her doubles opponent, Conway, on court No. 6. Graham faced a 3-2 deficit to open the set and attempted to cut into the lead at 5-3 before Conway captured a 6-3 set win. Graham responded well after a 1-1 tie in the following set, capturing the final five games to take the set 6-1. In the deciding set, Graham battled to a 1-1 tie before Conway jumped ahead for a 5-2 lead and later took the set 6-3 to give NC State a 2-1 lead.
In a tightly contested match, No. 83 Cross faced No. 36 Slama on the second court. After two ties and lead changes, Cross surged ahead from a 3-2 deficit to later secure a 6-4 set win. The sophomore trailed early at 3-0 in the following set before later taking a 5-4 lead. However, Slama continued to fight by forcing a seven-point tiebreaker. After dropping the first game, Cross took a 6-2 advantage in the breaker before Slama rallied and leveled the set at 6-6. Afterward, Slama continued to respond by posting four consecutive ties for a 10-10 set score before Cross edged the NC State sophomore by winning 7-6(10) to tie the match at 2-2.
Looking to regain the lead, No. 122 Lanton challenged Osuigwe on the fifth court. After a 1-1 tie to open the set, Lanton took a quick 4-1 advantage. Osuigwe attempted to rally by cutting into the deficit at 4-3 before Lanton earned the 6-4 set win. In the following set, the LSU freshman struggled early and faced deficits of 4-0 and 5-1. With her back against the wall, Lanton rallied to take a 6-5 lead before Osuigwe forced a seven-point tiebreaker. The set opened with a 2-2 tie before Lanton took a 5-3 lead. Afterward, Osuigwe tied at 5-5 and later 6-6, when Lanton denied the rally by taking the final two games and winning the second set 7-6(6) to put LSU ahead 3-2.
Brace battled to clinch the match on the top spot against No. 43 Broadfoot. Brace opened the set with a 1-1 tie before she fell into a 4-1 deficit. The sophomore would attempt to rally by cutting into the deficit at 5-4 before Broadfoot closed the set out with a 6-4 win. LSU’s top option left no doubt in the second set by posting a 6-0 sweep. In the final set, the sophomore quickly jumped ahead for a 5-1 advantage before Broadfoot attempted to rally by taking two straight games before Brace earned the 6-3 set win to clinch the 4-2 win for LSU.
For more information on the LSU women’s tennis program, follow the Tigers on X @lsuwten, Instagram @LSUWTen, and Facebook.com/lsuwten.
LSU vs NC State
2/8/2026 at Evanston, Ill.
Combe Tennis Center
#5 LSU 4, #9 NC State 2
Singles competition
1. Cadence Brace (LSUW) def. #43 Gabriella Broadfoot (NCSU) 4-6, 6-0, 6-3
2. #83 Kayla Cross (LSUW) def. #36 Mia Slama (NCSU) 6-4, 7-6 (12-10)
3. Ella McDonald (LSUW) vs. #110 Anna Zyryanova (NCSU) 6-7, 6-3, 5-3, unfinished
4. Carolina Kuhl (LSUW) fell to #18 Lavinia Tanasie (NCSU) 1-6, 4-6
5. #122 Addison Lanton (LSUW) def. Victoria Osuigwe (NCSU) 6-4, 7-6
6. #92 Kinaa Graham (LSUW) fell to Jasmine Conway (NCSU) 3-6, 6-1, 3-6
Doubles competition
1. Kayla Cross/Ella McDonald (LSUW) def. #2 Gabriella Broadfoot/Victoria Osuigwe (NCSU) 7-6 (8-6)
2. Addison Lanton/Kinaa Graham (LSUW) fell to #16 Jasmine Conway/Anna Zyryanova (NCSU) 2-6
3. Carolina Kuhl/Alexia Marginean (LSUW) def. Mia Slama/Lavinia Tanasie (NCSU) 6-3
Match Notes:
LSU 7-1; National ranking #5
NC State 6-3; National ranking #9
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3,1); Singles (4,6,2,5,1)