No. 10-Seeded LSU Opens NCAA Regional Against Stephen F. Austin
BATON ROUGE, La. – The No. 10-seeded LSU women’s tennis team opens NCAA Regional play at home against Stephen F. Austin on Saturday, May. 2, at 2:00 p.m. CT at the LSU Tennis Complex.
Tickets for the Baton Rouge NCAA Regional will be priced at $5 for adults and $3 for kids and can be purchased online under the Tournament Info page. Parking in Lot 411, opposite the LSU Tennis Complex, is limited.
On the other side of the bracket, TCU takes on Rice at 11:00 a.m. CT. The winner of each round one matchup will face off on Sunday, May 3, at 2:00 p.m. CT. The winner of that match advances to the NCAA Super Regional.
According to the latest official ITA rankings (Apr. 30), LSU ranks No. 10 in the dual season team rankings.
Last time out, the Tigers made program history by advancing to their first-ever SEC Championship, earning wins over No. 16-seeded Missouri (4-0), No. 8-seeded and No. 16 nationally ranked Tennessee (4-1), No. 1-seeded and No. 4 nationally ranked Oklahoma (4-3), No. 4-seeded and No. 1 nationally ranked Georgia (4-1), before falling in a tightly contested 4-3 decision to No. 3-seeded and No. 3 nationally ranked Auburn.
LSU holds a 19-9 record on the season and has clinched the doubles point in 15 of its matches. The Tigers own a 78-40 singles mark and a 40-27 doubles record.
The Tigers feature five ranked singles players in No. 9 Cadence Brace, No. 21 Kayla Cross, No. 77 Ella McDonald, No. 96 Addison Lanton, and No. 125 Kenna Erickson in the latest ITA rankings. Furthermore, LSU has three ranked doubles pairings: No. 17 Erickson and McDonald, No. 18 Cross and McDonald, and No. 40 Brace and Cross.
Brace holds a 10-5 mark on the top spot, behind seven ranked victories, highlighted by taking down Vanderbilt’s then-No. 33 Bridget Stammel, 6-3, 6-1. Most recently, the sophomore took down Oklahoma’s then-No. 7 Evialina Laskevich, 6-0, 6-3, for Brace’s first top-10 victory of the season. In the next match, the sophomore clinched the 4-1 win against Georgia with a result against then-No. 20 Anastasiia Lopata, 7-5, 6-1.
Cross holds a 7-2 singles mark on the season. The sophomore holds five ranked victories on the campaign, highlighted by clinching the 4-1 victory against Tennessee’s then-No. 35 Leyla Britez Risso in a come-from-behind effort, 1-6, 6-4, 6-3. Most recently, Cross took down Auburn’s then-No. 28 Ekaterina Khairutdinova, 6-2, 7-6(5) in the SEC Championship.
McDonald checks in with a 9-5 singles mark. She posted a ranked victory to clinch the match win against Florida’s then-No. 26 Gabia Paskauskas, 6-2, 6-3. Most recently, McDonald earned a hard-fought 7-6(4), 7-6(2) clinching victory over Oklahoma’s then-No. 59 Julia Garcia Ruiz. In the next match, McDonald picked up a 6-4, 6-2 win against Georgia’s then-No. 68 Deniz Dilek.
In doubles play, McDonald has earned nine wins on the season with Erickson behind five ranked victories. Most recently, the pairing earned two ranked victories at the SEC Tournament against Tennessee’s then-No. 23 Aulia/Britez Risso, 6-2, and Oklahoma’s then-No. 17 Laskevich/Mamedova, 6-3.
Lanton continues her strong freshman campaign with a team-leading 20-2 mark behind victories on the first, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth courts. Lanton is also currently riding an 11-match winning streak in singles. Highlight victories include a 2-6, 6-2, 6-3 come-from-behind effort against Georgia’s then-No. 54 Anastasiia Gureva in the SEC semifinal round. In doubles play, the freshman has earned 14 total 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 a 16-7 record in singles play with four ranked victories, riding a six-match winning streak. The freshman posted a dominant 6-4, 6-2 victory against Auburn’s then-No. 55 in the SEC Championship.
Stephen F. Austin travels to Baton Rouge after an 11-8 season. Most recently, the Lumberjacks earned the Southland Conference title after taking down UIW (4-3), McNeese (4-2), and Texas A&M – Corpus Christi (4-3). Head coach Drew Lambert leads Stephen F. Austin in his first season. LSU earned a win in its first-ever matchup against the program, defeating them in the opening round of last season’s NCAA Tournament.
For more information on the LSU women’s tennis program, follow the Tigers on X @lsuwten, Instagram @LSUWTen, and Facebook.com/lsuwten.