BATON ROUGE, La. – Sophomore Kayla Cross posted a 6-4, 1-6, 6-3 win on court No. 2 as the No. 13 LSU women’s tennis team denied a late rally from Alabama, securing a 4-2 victory on Thursday evening at the LSU Tennis Complex.
LSU improves to 13-7 and 6-6 in the SEC. Meanwhile, Alabama drops to 12-8 and 4-8 in league play.
“It was a really good response from our group to bounce back after last weekend,” said head coach Taylor Fogleman. “Alabama is a tough, well-coached team. Head coach Jonatan Berhane and assistant coach Cristina Sanchez-Quintanar have done a great job with that program, and their players compete extremely hard. I thought we were in a position to pull away in doubles, but they made it very tricky for us and pushed us all the way to the finish. Singles was very similar, with many tight, competitive matches. Addison (Lanton) had an incredible performance, playing some outstanding tennis, and we were fortunate to have someone like Kayla (Cross) in that moment. She’s a proven winner at every level, and when the match is on the line, she’s someone you trust.”
When looking ahead, coach Fogleman added, “Overall, I’m really proud of the group. Now we need to rest and get ready for another tough test against Mississippi State on Saturday. They’re a very well-coached team, and it’ll be a great opportunity for us. It’s also special to celebrate our seniors, Florentine Dekkers and Carina Holguin, so hopefully we can get a great crowd out to recognize them and everything they’ve done for this program.”
Cross and Florentine Dekkers opened the dual match on the top doubles spot against Addison Bowman and Kristina Paskauskas. Despite trailing 2-1, Cross and Dekkers surged ahead to capture the final five games for a 6-2 set win.
Looking to clinch the doubles point, Addison Lanton and Alexia Marginean took on Amina Salibayeva and Mariia Sidelnyk on the third court. Lanton and Marginean hit their stride early by taking a 3-0 and later a 5-2 lead in the lone set. However, Salibayeva and Sidelnyk rallied to tie the set at 5-5. Despite a late push, the LSU freshmen duo captured the final two games for a 7-5 win to claim the doubles point for LSU.
No. 34 Cadence Brace opened singles play on the first court against No. 71 Paskauskas. After dropping the first game, Brace was awarded the match win due to a retirement by way of injury to give LSU a 2-0 lead.
After helping clinch the doubles point, No. 122 Lanton carried her momentum into singles, taking on No. 118 Karla Bartel on court No. 3. Lanton built an early 2-1 lead before surging ahead to 5-1 in the opening set, ultimately closing it out 6-2. She continued in the second set, jumping out to a 3-0 advantage and cruising to a 6-1 win to award LSU a 3-0 advantage. With the result, Lanton is now riding a five-match winning streak.
In her second match of the day, Dekkers took on Mariia Sidelnyk on the sixth court. Dekkers found herself in a 4-0 hole to open the set and was unable to recover, falling 6-1. Despite holding a 3-2 lead in the second set, Sidelnyk stole the final four games to take the set 6-3 and alter the match score to 3-1.
Looking to clinch the match, No. 64 Cross battled No. 73 Klara Milicevic on the second spot. Cross stayed within reach in the opening set, trailing 4-3 before taking the final three games for a 6-4 set win. Milicevic responded in the second set, jumping out to a 3-0 lead and later taking it 6-1 to force a decider. In the third, Cross built a 2-1 lead and never lost her advantage, earning the final four of six games for a 6-3 final set to clinch the 4-1 victory for LSU. Cross now holds three ranked victories on the campaign.
Up Next
LSU hosts Mississippi State in a Senior Day matchup for the final home match of the regular season on Saturday, Apr. 4, at 11:00 a.m. CT at the LSU Tennis Complex.
For more information on the LSU women’s tennis program, follow the Tigers on X @lsuwten, Instagram @LSUWTen, and Facebook.com/lsuwten.
LSU vs Alabama
04/2/26 at Baton Rouge, La.
LSU Tennis Complex
#13 LSU 4, Alabama 1
Singles competition
1. #34 Cadence Brace (LSU) def. #71 Kristina Paskauskas (ALA-W) 0-1, retired
2. #64 Kayla Cross (LSU) def. #73 Klara Millicevic (ALA-W) 6-4, 1-6, 6-3
3. #122 Addison Lanton (LSU) def. #118 Karla Bartel (ALA-W) 6-2, 6-1
4. Carolina Kuhl (LSU) vs. Addison Bowman (ALA-W) 4-6, 6-3, 1-0, unfinished
5. Kenna Erickson (LSU) vs. Amina Salibayeva (ALA-W) 3-6, 6-3, 1-3, unfinished
6. Florentine Dekkers (LSU) fell to Mary Sidelynk (ALA-W) 1-6, 3-6
Doubles competition
1. Kayla Cross/Florentine Dekkers (LSU) def. Kristina Paskauskas/Addison Bowman (ALA-W) 6-2
2. Kenna Erickson/Carolina Kuhl (LSU) vs. Karla Bartel/Klara Millicevic (ALA-W) 4-5, unfinished
3. Addison Lanton/Alexia Marginean (LSU) def. Amina Salibayeva/Mary Sidelynk (ALA-W) 7-5
Match Notes:
LSU 13-7 (6-6 SEC); National ranking #13
Alabama 12-8 (4-8 SEC)
Order of finish: Doubles (1,3); Singles (1,3,6,2)