No. 9-Seeded LSU Topples No. 4-Seeded Georgia, 4-1; Advances to Program’s First SEC Tournament Final

NORMAN, Okla. – Sophomore Cadence Brace posted a 7-5, 6-1 clinching performance as the No. 9-seeded, No. 15 nationally ranked LSU women’s tennis team secured a 4-1 win over No. 4-seeded, No. 1 nationally ranked Georgia on Saturday afternoon at the Headington Family Tennis Center.

No. 15 LSU improves to 19-8 while No. 1 Georgia falls to 18-5. LSU earned its first victory over the Bulldogs since 1985 and its highest-ranked victory in program history. With the result, the Tigers advance to the program’s first-ever SEC Tournament Final appearance.

“Just incredibly proud and happy for our team,” said head coach Taylor Fogleman. “To come through four matches in four days in what is, without question, the best conference in the country this year, and prove to ourselves that we’re one of the top teams as well, says a lot about this group. In really tricky conditions today, I thought our ladies handled it like champions, starting in doubles where we managed things about as well as we could, and then carrying that into singles. Like we’ve done all week, we built leads, stretched them, faced a few setbacks in some matches, and responded with a ton of fight. It’s been a complete team performance on and off the court, especially against the No. 1 team in the country. Drake (Bernstein) and his staff’s success speaks for itself, so this is a really positive step forward for us. The team is excited, but also hungry to get back out there tomorrow. We’ll need that same level of energy and competitiveness against another top team in Auburn, so we’ll enjoy this one tonight, recover, and get ready for another big match.”

Addison Lanton and Carolina Kuhl opened the SEC semifinals on the third doubles court against Emma Dong and Hayden Mulberry. After two consecutive ties to open the set, Lanton and Kuhl earned the final four games to post a 6-2 set victory.

No. 67 Cadence Brace and Kayla Cross looked to secure the doubles point against No. 10 Anastasiia Lopata and Patricija Paukstyte on court No. 1. Following a tie to open the set, Lopata and Paukstyte took a 3-2 lead before Brace and Cross surged ahead to earn the final four games for a 6-3 set win, awarding LSU the doubles point.

Ella McDonald started singles play on the third court against No. 68 Deniz Dilek. After falling behind 1-0, McDonald moved ahead 2-1, but Dilek answered to take a 4-2 lead. McDonald then dominated the rest of the way, winning four straight games to take the first set, 6-4. In the second, McDonald raced out to a 4-0 advantage and later closed it out, 6-2, to give the Tigers a 2-0 lead.

On court No. 6, No. 110 Kenna Erickson faced Paukstyte. Erickson held leads at 2-1 and 3-2, but Paukstyte edged ahead at 5-3. Erickson battled back to even it at 5-5, but ultimately dropped the set, 7-5. In the second, the junior fell behind 3-1 and was unable to recover, losing 6-2 to put the match score at 2-1.

Looking to regain momentum, No. 108 Lanton took on No. 54 Anastasiia Gureva on the fourth court. Lanton fell behind early and dropped the opening set, 6-2. She responded with poise in the second, jumping out to a 3-0 lead and later cruising to a 6-2 win. In the deciding set, Lanton broke a 1-1 tie to take a 3-1 lead, managed Gureva’s push back to 4-3, and closed strong by winning the final two games to secure a 6-3 victory.

In a spot to clinch the match, No. 18 Brace battled No. 20 Lopata on the top spot. Brace found herself in an early hole, trailing 2-0 and later 5-3, but stormed back to take four straight games and earn the opening set, 7-5. She carried that momentum into the second, quickly flipping a 1-0 deficit into taking six straight games to seal the 6-1 set win to clinch the 4-1 win for LSU.

Up Next

LSU takes on No. 3-seeded and No. 3 nationally ranked Auburn in the SEC Tournament Final on Sunday, Apr. 19, at 3:00 p.m. CT. The matchup will be streamed on the SEC Network.

For more information on the LSU women’s tennis program, follow the Tigers on X @lsuwten, Instagram @LSUWTen, and Facebook.com/lsuwten.

LSU vs Georgia
04/18/26 at Norman, Okla.
Headington Family Tennis Center
#15 LSU 4, #1 Georgia 1

Singles competition
1. #18 Cadence Brace (LSU) def. #20 Anastasiia Lopata (UGA) 7-5, 6-1
2. #46 Kayla Cross (LSU) vs. #8 Aysegul Mert (UGA) 6-2, 3-6, 5-6, unfinished
3. Ella McDonald (LSU) def. #68 Deniz Dilek (UGA) 6-4, 6-2
4. #108 Addison Lanton (LSU) def. #54 Anastasiia Gureva (UGA) 2-6, 6-2, 6-3
5. Carolina Kuhl (LSU) vs. #86 Sofia Rojas (UGA) 7-6 (7-5), 5-4, unfinished
6. #110 Kenna Erickson (LSU) fell to Patricija Paukstyte (UGA) 5-7, 2-6

Doubles competition
1. #67 Cadence Brace/Kayla Cross (LSU) def. #10 Anastasiia Lopata/Patricija Paukstyte (UGA) 6-3
2. #29 Kenna Erickson/Ella McDonald (LSU) vs. #3 Deniz Dilek/Aysegul Mert (UGA) 4-4, unfinished
3. Carolina Kuhl/Addison Lanton (LSU) def. Emily Deming/Anastasiia Gureva (UGA) 6-2

Match Notes:
LSU 19-8; National ranking #15
Georgia 18-5; National ranking #1
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1); Singles (3,6,4,1)