LSU is now on a three game losing streak, facing their third straight ranked opponent in a row against No. 19 UCF and considering this team is recovering from COVID-19 and dealing with the rust that comes with that, it was obvious this match was going to be tough.
Possible to pull out, but tough.
Doubles seemed to be a good indication of that possibility, as the matches were close, with the results being difficult to predict through most of the period. Two courts progressively leaned one way, while Court 5, featuring Taylor Bridges and Rania Azziz, consistently went back and forth.
The pair fell to a 3-5 deficit through eight games but fought back in the next game to narrow the gap once again. With a few inerrant shots in the tenth game, the match was over, as UCF claimed the doubles point.
This is where the tide started to turn in one direction.
While the doubles matches were tight, singles were where everything seemed to unravel for LSU and their rust was on full display. The first sets began close, with a lot of them tying at 3-3 at their midway points, but the latter halves were all UCF (except for Court 5, which ultimately went to LSU’s Mia Rabinowitz 7-5).
UCF’s ranked singles players in participation, No. 48 Evgeniya Levashova and No. 121 Marie Mattel, made quick work on Courts 1 and 4, each defeating LSU’s Safiya Carrington and Nina Geissler respectively by scores of 6-3 and 6-1. As those matches were concluding, other matches were getting close.
After each player dropped their first sets 3-6, Taylor Bridges and Maggie Cubitt had resurgent second sets that stole the momentum and breathed new life into the team. Cubitt swept hers, which would soon lead to a retirement by her opponent and a point for the Tigers, and Bridges won hers 6-3, regathering her footing after dropping five straight games in the previous set.
Cubitt was proud of the team’s resurgence, considering it a good sign that they were able to obtain some momentum before the match was over.
“I think that we have a lack of match play and being able to play points and gain momentum and confidence is huge for us,” Cubitt said. “We are all competitors and losing 5 sets and putting up a fight and winning some third sets showed us that we were in position to win.”
With Mia Rabinowitz also going into her third set, the team had a realistic shot of winning. They just needed one more player to get to a third set, and with Courts 1 and 4 being eliminated, that left freshman Rania Azziz on Court 6 as the last piece of the puzzle.
Unfortunately, as the title says, that didn’t happen. Azziz seemed to run out of gas after obtaining a 4-2 lead, ultimately losing the last four games to drop the match 4-6, 4-6.
Still, it was a valiant effort for a team that’s still trying to get its groove back. Their next match will be against their first unranked opponent of the season, as they are traveling to Houston this weekend to face Rice.
