BATON ROUGE, La. – Sophomore Kayla Cross posted a 6-1, 6-2 clinching effort as the No. 10-seeded LSU women’s tennis team opened NCAA Regional play in style with a 4-0 sweep at home against Stephen F. Austin on Saturday afternoon at the LSU Tennis Complex.
LSU improves to 20-9 while Stephen F. Austin ends their season at 11-9.
“Really good start to the tournament for our group,” said head coach Taylor Fogleman. Huge credit to Stephen F. Austin, who had a great season and really grinded their way through the conference tournament to take that title, so we knew we had to be prepared. I thought our girls were, frankly, really good, efficient, and took care of business. We’re certainly going to need to play a little bit better against a Rice team that took down TCU pretty comfortably in singles today. Still, our group is really excited for the opportunity to play for a Super Regional spot tomorrow. I hope we can get another great crowd out here to support them. I really appreciate everyone coming out this afternoon, and we’ll be ready to go at 2:00 tomorrow.”
No. 17 Kenna Erickson and Ella McDonald kick-started the match on the second doubles court against Ana Paula Chavez and Avery Kinsey. After a fast start, the LSU duo took over and earned a 6-0 sweep in the lone set. As a result, the duo now has 10 wins on the season.
Looking to earn the doubles point, No. 40 Cadence Brace and Cross took on Sonja Rooth and Felicia Back on the top spot. After dropping the first game, the sophomore pairing surged ahead to earn the final six games for a 6-1 set win, giving LSU the early 1-0 lead.
Opening singles play, Kinaa Graham faced Kinsey on the sixth court. Following a brief 1-1 tie in the first set, Graham took over by earning 11 straight games for a 6-1, 6-0 straight set win to push LSU ahead at 2-0.
Attempting to extend the advantage, Carolina Kuhl battled Chavez on the fifth court. Kuhl opened the first set with a 2-0 advantage before Chavez stole a game. Afterward, the freshman earned the final three of four games for a 6-2 win. The German native carried that momentum in the second set, only dropping one game en route to a 6-1 win for a 3-0 Tiger lead. Kuhl now holds 17 wins on the season and extends her winning streak to seven matches.
In a position to send the Tigers to the championship round, No. 21 Cross took on her doubles foe, Back, on court No. 2. After dropping the opening game, Cross rattled off six straight to claim a 6-1 first set. The sophomore followed a similar script in the second, falling behind 2-0 before winning six consecutive games to secure a 6-2 set and clinch the 4-0 victory for LSU.
Up Next
LSU will take on the No. 3 seed in the Baton Rouge Regional, Rice, in the Regional Championship on Sunday, May 3, at 2:00 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. Stephen F. Austin
05/02/26 at Baton Rouge, La
LSU Tennis Complex
#10 LSU 4, Stephen F. Austin 0
Singles Competition
1. #9 Cadence Brace (LSU) vs. Sonja Rooth (SFA) 6-3, 2-1, unfinished
2. #21 Kayla Cross (LSU) def. Felicia Back (SFA) 6-1, 6-2
3. #77 Ella McDonald (LSU) vs. Ksenia Mamontova (SFA) 6-2, 4-2, unfinished
4. #96 Addison Lanton (LSU) vs. Antonella Taco (SFA) 6-2, 3-1, unfinished
5. Carolina Kuhl (LSU) def. Ana Paula Chavez (SFA) 6-2, 6-1
6. Kinaa Graham (LSU) def. Avery Kinsey (SFA) 6-1, 6-0
Doubles Competition
1. #40 Cadence Brace/Kayla Cross (LSU) def. Felicia Back/Sonja Rooth (SFA) 6-1
2. #17 Kenna Erickson/Ella McDonald (LSU) def. Avery Kinsey/Ana Paula Chavez (SFA) 6-0
3. Addison Lanton/Carolina Kuhl (LSU) vs. Ksenia Mamontova/Alk Giannakogiorgou (SFA) 4-2, unfinished
Match Notes:
LSU 20-9; National ranking #10
Stephen F. Austin 11-9
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1,3); Singles (6,5,2)