No. 11 LSU Travels to Missouri, Hosts No. 12 Vanderbilt
BATON ROUGE, La. – The No. 7 LSU women’s tennis team travels to face Missouri on Thursday, Mar. 19, at 1:00 p.m. CT at the Mizzou Tennis Complex. Two days later, LSU faces a tough test at home against No. 12 Vanderbilt at 11:00 a.m. CT at the LSU Tennis Complex.
According to the latest official ITA rankings (Mar. 17), LSU ranks No. 11 in the dual season team rankings.
Last time out, the Tigers traveled for two SEC contests, first to Fayetteville, where they posted a 4-0 sweep against Arkansas, and then to Norman, where they suffered a 4-0 defeat to No. 10 Oklahoma.
Attendance at all LSU matches at the LSU Tennis Complex is free. Attendees will be required to comply with the university’s clear-bag policy.
LSU holds a 10-5 record on the season and has clinched the doubles point in nine of its matches. The Tigers own a 40-20 singles mark and a 21-16 doubles record.
The Tigers feature four ranked singles players in No. 45 Kayla Cross, No. 58 Cadence Brace, No. 88 Ella McDonald, and No. 104 Kinaa Graham in the latest ITA rankings.
Furthermore, LSU has two ranked doubles pairings: No. 11 Cross and McDonald and No. 65 Kenna Erickson and McDonald.
Cross holds a 3-0 singles mark on the season. The sophomore holds two ranked victories on the campaign, highlighted by taking down Auburn’s then-No. 50 Ekaterina Khairutdinova, 6-4, 0-6, 6-0.
Brace holds a 4-1 mark on the top spot, behind two ranked victories, most recently highlighted by taking down Florida’s then-No. 103 India Houghton, 6-2, 6-1.
Against NC State, McDonald and Cross struck up a partnership to take down NC State’s then-No. 2 Broadfoot/Victoria Osuigwe, 7-6(6). Since then, the duo has a 3-1 record this season, all against ranked opponents.
McDonald checks in with a 5-2 singles mark. She posted a ranked victory to clinch the match win against Florida’s No. 26 Gabia Paskauskas, 6-2, 6-3. Beyond teaming with Cross, McDonald has earned three doubles wins on the season with Erickson. Likewise, Erickson has collected two singles victories on the third and fifth courts this season.
Lanton has had a strong start to her freshman campaign with a team-leading 10-2 mark behind victories on the first, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth courts. The freshman has also earned six total doubles victories with four different partners.
Following ITA Kickoff Weekend, on Jan. 28, Carolina Kuhl was named the SEC Freshman of the Week. Kuhl has registered an 8-5 record in singles play. Kuhl earned her first-ranked victory on Feb. 6 against Tennessee’s then-No. 87 Catherine Aulia, 6-4, 6-3. The freshman also holds five doubles victories with three different partners.
Finally, Graham has collected three singles wins this season, highlighted by defeating Auburn’s then-No. 31 Ava Esposito in straight sets, 6-3, 6-1.
Missouri has a 9-9 overall record at the mid-way point of the season. Silvia Chinellato serves as the interim head coach for the Tigers this season. LSU holds a perfect 14-0 all-time record against Missouri.
Vanderbilt posts a 15-4 overall record while owning a 5-2 mark in conference play, riding a four-match winning streak. The Commodores are represented in the ITA singles rankings by No. 17 Celia-Belle Mohr, No. 25 Valeria Ray, No. 33 Bridget Stammel, and No. 93 Mia Yamakita. In doubles, Mohr and Sophia Webster are ranked No. 3, while Ray and Stammel come in at No. 25. Head coach Aleke Tsoubanos leads the program in her sixth season with a record of 98-55. LSU holds 17 all-time wins against Vanderbilt and is seeking its first victory since 2022.
For more information on the LSU women’s tennis program, follow the Tigers on X @lsuwten, Instagram @LSUWTen, and Facebook.com/lsuwten.