After a strong finish on the final day of competition in the Virginia Classic exhibition tournament this past weekend, the LSU women’s tennis team is working hard to carry that momentum into the regular season. The team begins match play Sunday in Tulsa, Okla., at 9 a.m. Coach Tony Minnis said although Lady Tigers played well in Virginia, they must play with more consistency if they want to have a chance against Tulsa. “We have to live in the moment,” Minnis said. “And understand that if you don’t come out and play with consistency and a good effort with the type of schedule we have, you can get beat. “Tulsa is a very good team. They made the in-state tournament last year, and we have to play very well against them if we want to be successful.” Senior Tiffany Tucker said she is looking forward to playing matches and enjoying the competition after practicing for so long. “I’m just trying to have a good attitude on the court, staying solid in my tennis and staying focused for next week,” Tucker said. “I’ve been focusing not necessarily on winning and losing but on playing good, solid tennis for my team. I think we have a really good future for this year.” Junior Mykala Hedberg emphasized the team’s preparation for playing indoors. “We can keep [momentum] going by not settling on doing well last week,” Hedberg said. “Getting used to the speed and quickness of things [indoors] is a lot different, so we’ve got to make sure that we keep positive and reassure ourselves that we can keep going with it.” Minnis said the team is working to make strides in doubles play. In the Virginia Classic, the duo of Megan Falcon and Hannah Robinson lost two of their three matches, and the 30th-ranked team of Mykala Hedberg and Staten Spencer lost 8-0 to Virginia before rebounding to defeat Wake Forest and Purdue. “I thought that our doubles was OK [in the tournament],” Minnis said. “But I think we have the capabilities to be much better in doubles and so we’re working to try to improve a lot.”
—-Contact Rachel Whittaker at [email protected]