KNOVILLE, Tenn. – The No. 12 LSU women’s tennis team dropped a narrow 4-3 decision to No. 19 Tennessee on Saturday afternoon at the Barksdale Tennis Stadium.
LSU concludes the regular season at 15-8 and 8-7 in the conference, while Tennessee moves to 21-8 and 11-5 in the SEC.
“Tough go for us today,” said head coach Taylor Fogleman. “We needed to be better, but I think we know what we need to do moving forward in that respect. Similar to Thursday, I really loved our ladies’ response in singles. We got off to some leads in a few matches, but didn’t quite battle hard enough to really get our teeth into it. In the end, Tennessee was just a little bit better than we were today. I think we’ll be better because of today’s result. This was another really hearty match in the SEC, and I think these tough contests have helped us a lot. We’ve learned a lot and continue to learn about ourselves, which will benefit us as we head into postseason play in Norman. We’ll get back to Baton Rouge, get rested and recovered, and then get excited to tackle the SEC Tournament, whoever we face first.”
No. 30 Kenna Erickson and Ella McDonald started doubles play on the second court against No. 27 Catherine Aulia and Leyla Britez-Risso. The pairs traded games early, but Aulia and Britez-Risso ultimately pulled away to secure a 6-3 win.
Addison Lanton and Alexia Marginean stepped to court No. 3 to take on Katrina Scott and Maeve Thornton. The duos exchanged games early, but Scott and Thornton ultimately gained separation to down Lanton and Marginean to claim a 6-3 win, clinching the doubles point for Tennessee.
No. 119 Lanton opened singles play on the third court against No. 85 Vanesa Suarez. The freshman quickly took a 4-0 lead in the first set and later earned the 6-1 result. In the second set, Lanton built a 2-0 lead before extending it to 4-1. Suarez attempted to rally and cut the deficit to 4-2, but Lanton ultimately closed out the match with a 6-2 victory to tie the match at 1-1.
No. 117 Kinaa Graham was next on the fifth spot with Francesca Mattioli. After a 2-2 tie and a brief 4-3 lead, Graham surrendered the final three games for a 6-4 first-set win. Mattioli took a lead 2-0 in the second, but Graham couldn’t rally as Mattioli later closed it out at 6-1, giving Tennessee a 2-1 lead.
Looking to regain momentum, Carolina Kuhl took on No. 115 Aulia on the No. 4 court. The German native posted a dominant 6-0 first set result to open the match. Afterward, in a competitive second set that featured two lead changes and four ties, Kuhl broke away after a 5-5 tie to take the set 7-5 to tie the dual match at 2-2.
Attempting to give the Tigers the lead, Erickson took on Audrey Aulia on the sixth court. Erickson built a 2-1 lead and later extended it to 5-3 to open the first set. However, Aulia rallied to tie the set at 5-5, and later 6-6 before Erickson earned a dominant 7-6(1) tiebreak victory. In the second, the LSU junior found herself trailing 3-2 before capturing the final four games to post a 6-3 set win to give LSU a 3-2 lead. Erickson now holds a four-match winning streak.
On court No. 2, McDonald battled doubles foe No. 27 Britez-Risso. McDonald fell behind 3-1 early in the first set and, despite trimming the deficit to 4-2, later dropped the set 6-3. She responded in the second, taking a 4-1 lead, later extending to 5-3 and closing it out 6-3. In the deciding set, after a brief 1-1 tie, Britez-Risso moved ahead to 4-1, and although McDonald pulled one back to 4-2, she couldn’t close the gap, falling 6-2 to tie the match at 3-3.
With one court remaining, No. 26 Cadence Brace battled No. 29 Scott on court No. 1. Brace fell behind early, trailing 4-0 and later 5-1, before mounting an impressive comeback to take a 6-5 lead. Scott forced a tiebreak, where Brace narrowly fell 7-6(6) in the opening set. In the second, Brace again faced an early deficit and was unable to recover, falling 6-1 to clinch the win for Tennessee.
Up Next
LSU competes at the SEC Tournament in Norman, Okla., from Apr. 14-18. The draw and match times will be announced at a later date.
For more information on the LSU women’s tennis program, follow the Tigers on X @lsuwten, Instagram @LSUWTen, and Facebook.com/lsuwten.
LSU vs Tennessee
04/11/26 at Knoxville, Tenn.
Barksdale Tennis Stadium
#12 LSU 3, #19 Tennessee 4
Singles competition
1. #26 Cadence Brace (LSUW) fell to #29 Katrina Scott (TENN) 6-7 (6-8), 1-6
2. Ella McDonald (LSUW) fell to #27 Leyla Britez Risso (TENN) 3-6, 6-3, 2-6
3. #119 Addison Lanton (LSUW) def. #85 Vanesa Suarez (TENN) 6-1, 6-2
4. Carolina Kuhl (LSUW) def. #115 Catherine Aulia (TENN) 6-0, 7-5
5. #117 Kinaa Graham (LSUW) fell to Francesca Mattioli (TENN) 4-6, 1-6
6. Kenna Erickson (LSUW) def. Audrey Aulia (TENN) 7-6 (7-1), 6-3
Doubles competition
1. Cadence Brace/Carolina Kuhl (LSUW) vs. #32 Francesca Mattioli/Vanesa Suarez (TENN) 1-5, unfinished
2. #30 Kenna Erickson/Ella McDonald (LSUW) fell to #27 Catherine Aulia/Leyla Britez Risso (TENN) 3-6
3. Addison Lanton/Alexia Marginean (LSUW) fell to Maeve Thornton/Katrina Scott (TENN) 3-6
Match Notes:
LSU 15-8 (8-7); National ranking #12
Tennessee 21-8 (11-5); National ranking #19
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3); Singles (3,5,4,6,2,1)