The LSU women’s tennis team made it look easy, shutting out Nichols State and Grambling with a 7-0 score.
Starting the day against Nichols, the Lady Tigers quickly won the doubles point and never looked back. Efficient wins by freshman Ella Taylor, junior Ariel Morton and senior Ebie Wilson clinched the match for LSU not long after singles play had begun.
Senior Kaitlin Burns found herself back on court one, bumping sophomore Mary Jeremiah to court two. LSU coach Julia Sell said the change had something to do with both players.
“[Burns] has earned her spot. [Jeremiah] has struggled a bit at one … Right now now I just think [Burns] is a little more confident and playing a little better. It was great for [Jeremiah] to play lower and get some wins,” Sell said.
Burns rewarded her coach’s decision with a 7-5, 6-1 win, the first for LSU in the top spot in almost a month.
Jeremiah was on her way to an comfortable win but allowed Nichols’ Marie Aubert to climb back into the match in the second set. After a few back and forth games, Jeremiah was able to secure a 6-2, 7-5 victory and complete the sweep.
“The more [Jeremiah] stays [calm] and trusts her game, the better she plays. We haven’t seen the best of her yet,” Sell said.
The second match of the day was over quickly as the Lady Tigers put on a clinic against Grambling. They only dropped one game across all matches in route to their second shutout of the day.
With Southeastern Conference opener against No. 17 Vanderbilt looming next Friday, the Lady Tigers will look to maintain the modest two match streak they started today.
“In SEC season, anything can happen … It doesn’t matter what anyone looks like on paper. It’s about who comes out and plays the best that day,” Sell said.
