NORMAN, Okla. – Sophomore Ella McDonald stepped to the third court and delivered a 7-6(4), 7-6(2) clinching performance as the No. 9-seeded LSU women’s tennis team pulled off a historic 4-3 upset over No. 1-seeded Oklahoma on Friday afternoon at the Headington Family Tennis Center.
LSU moves to 18-8 while Oklahoma falls to 23-5. The Tigers advance to the SEC semifinals for the first time since 2015 and the fifth time in program history (1991, 1995, 2004, 2015).
“Tremendous tennis match today,” said head coach Taylor Fogleman. “Oklahoma is one of the top teams in the country and a co-SEC regular season champion, so to compete like that on their home courts says a lot about our group. We knew it would be a challenge, and I knew our girls would rise to it. I thought we were right there in doubles, but the environment made things really tough late, and Oklahoma just edged us out. Our response in singles, though, was spectacular. In matches like these, there are always ebbs and flows, and we saw that throughout today, but our toughness and grit were exactly where they needed to be. I’m extremely proud and excited for this team. They’ve been working incredibly hard together to achieve something special. We’ll enjoy this one tonight, but we know there’s more ahead with another strong opponent tomorrow, whether it’s Texas or Georgia. We’ll rest, recover, and be ready for another great opportunity.”
Carolina Kuhl and Addison Lanton opened doubles play on the third court against Julia Garcia Ruiz and Salakthip Ounmuang. Kuhl and Lanton grabbed early 1-0 and 2-1 leads, but dropped the final five games to fall, 6-2.
On court No. 2, No. 29 Kenna Erickson and Ella McDonald battled No. 17 Evialina Laskevich and Edda Mamedova. After trailing 2-1, Erickson and McDonald surged ahead to capture the final five of six games for a 6-3 win.
With one court left, No. 67 Cadence Brace and Kayla Cross faced the nation’s top-ranked duo of Roisin Gilheany and Gloriana Nahum on the top spot. In a back-and-forth affair that featured three ties and lead changes, the two sides traded games throughout to 5-5 before Gilheany and Nahum stole the final two games to take it, 7-5, securing the doubles point for Oklahoma.
No. 110 Erickson kicked off singles play on the fourth court against Nahum. After a brief 1-1 tie, Erickson fell behind and dropped the first set, 6-2. She trailed again in the second, rallying to 4-3, but Nahum closed it out, 6-3, to give Oklahoma a 2-0 lead.
Needing a response, No. 18 Brace faced a tough test on the top spot against No. 7 Laskevich. The sophomore posted a dominant showing in the opening set with a 6-0 result. In the second set, after trailing 3-1, the Canadian native earned the final five games to take the set 6-3 to cut into Oklahoma’s lead at 2-1.
Holding momentum, No. 108 Lanton competed against Chloe Noel on court No. 4. Lanton held early leads at 1-0 and 3-2 before Noel tied the set at 3-3, but the freshman responded by taking the final three games for a 6-3 opening set win. Following a 1-1 tie in the second, Noel built a 4-1 advantage. However, Lanton surged late, winning the final five games to take the set 6-4 and tie the match at 2-2.
Next up on the second spot, No. 46 Cross battled No. 40 Mamedova. Following a 2-0 lead to open the first set, Cross extended her advantage to 5-1 and later secured a 6-2 win. After jumping out to another 2-0 lead in the second, Mamedova responded with six straight games to take it, 6-2. In the deciding set, Cross turned a 3-2 deficit into a 4-3 lead, but was unable to close it out, falling 6-4 as Oklahoma took a 3-2 lead.
Looking to extend the match, Carolina Kuhl took on Ounmuang on court No. 5. Kuhl set the tone early, building a 4-2 lead before holding off a late push to take the first set, 6-4. Ounmuang responded in the second, jumping out front at 3-1 and maintaining control to win, 6-3. In the deciding set, Kuhl surged ahead at 3-0 and never looked back, closing it out, 6-3, tying the match at 3-3.
With all eyes on the third court, McDonald faced No. 59 Garcia Ruiz. In the opening set, McDonald built a 4-2 lead before Garcia Ruiz responded to eventually edge ahead at 6-5. McDonald held firm to force a tiebreak and delivered to earn a 7-6(4) result. The sophomore trailed 3-1 to open the second set before working her way back to 4-3. Garcia Ruiz pushed ahead again, but McDonald surged late, taking a 6-5 lead before the set was forced into another tiebreak. The England native came through in the seven-point tiebreak, securing a dominant 7-6(2) victory to clinch the 4-3 win for the Tigers.
Up Next
LSU will take on the winner of Texas vs. Georgia in the SEC Tournament semifinal round on Saturday, Apr. 18, at 3:00 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.
LSU vs Oklahoma
04/17/26 at Norman, Okla.
Headington Family Tennis Center
LSU 4, Oklahoma 3
Singles competition
1. #18 Cadence Brace (LSU) def. #7 Evialina Laskevich (OU) 6-0, 6-3
2. #46 Kayla Cross (LSU) fell to #40 Edda Mamedova (OU) 6-2, 2-6, 4-6
3. Ella McDonald (LSU) def. #59 Julia Garcia Ruiz (OU) 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (7-2)
4. #108 Addison Lanton (LSU) def. Chloe Noel (OU) 6-3, 6-4
5. Carolina Kuhl (LSU) def. Salakthip Ounmuang (OU) 6-4, 3-6, 6-3
6. #110 Kenna Erickson (LSU) fell to Gloriana Nahum (OU) 2-6, 3-6
Doubles competition
1. #67 Cadence Brace/Kayla Cross (LSU) fell to #1 Roisin Gilheany/Gloriana Nahum (OU) 5-7
2. #29 Kenna Erickson/Ella McDonald (LSU) def. #17 Evialina Laskevich/Edda Mamedova (OU) 6-3
3. Carolina Kuhl/Addison Lanton (LSU) fell to Julia Garcia Ruiz/Salakthip Ounmuang (OU) 2-6
Match Notes:
LSU 18-8; National ranking #15
Oklahoma 23-5; National ranking #4
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2,1); Singles (1,6,4,2,5,3)