The LSU women’s tennis team defeated top-ranked Georgia 4-1 at the Headington Family Tennis Center on April 18, advancing to the program’s first-ever Southeastern Conference (SEC) Tournament Final.
This victory marks a significant milestone for LSU, as it is their first win over Georgia since 1985 and their highest-ranked victory in program history. The result allows the No. 9-seeded, No. 15 nationally ranked Tigers to improve their record to 19-8 and move forward in the tournament.
Head coach Taylor Fogleman said, “Just incredibly proud and happy for our team. 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.”
In doubles play during Saturday’s semifinal match-up against Georgia’s Emma Dong and Hayden Mulberry on court three, Addison Lanton and Carolina Kuhl secured a set victory after winning four consecutive games for a score of 6-2. On court one Cadence Brace teamed up with Kayla Cross to defeat Anastasiia Lopata and Patricija Paukstyte by taking four straight games late for a final tally of 6-3.
Singles competition saw Ella McDonald claim an early point by defeating Deniz Dilek while Addison Lanton overcame an opening set loss to secure her singles match against Anastasiia Gureva with strong play down the stretch.
Cadence Brace clinched LSU’s win by coming from behind against Lopata—winning four straight games after trailing—and then dominating her opponent in the second set.
LSU will next face Auburn—ranked third both within SEC seeding as well as nationally—in Sunday’s tournament final scheduled at Headington Family Tennis Center.
