The LSU women’s tennis team could not hang on to a 3-2 lead Tuesday and lost to Kansas University 4-3 at W.T. ‘Dub’ Robinson Stadium.
This marks only the second time the No. 48 Lady Tigers (8-6, 0-4) have lost a non-conference match this season.
“Our kids fought hard and gave some great effort, but Kansas just played their heart out,” LSU coach Tony Minnis said in a news release. “They played a great match and were able to pull away in the end.”
The Lady Tigers began with an early 1-0 lead over the No. 74 Jayhawks (7-6) after LSU won the doubles point of the match.
LSU senior Marina Chiarelli and sophomore Anastasiya Dubova won their doubles pairing against sophomore Lauren Hommel and freshman Edina Horvath, 8-4.
The duo of LSU seniors Camila Caliari and Daysi Espinal clinched the doubles point for the team after defeating senior Christine Skoda and sophomore Stephanie Smith, 8-6.
After the strong opening, LSU split its first two singles matches of the evening.
Caliari dropped her match against Horvath in straight sets, 6-4, 6-0.
Espinal earned the Lady Tigers’ second point of the match with her two-set win against Smith, 6-0, 6-3.
Kansas responded to even up the match at 2-2 after Hommell defeated LSU sophomore Tiffany Tucker, 6-2, 6-4.
The tie did not last long as Dubova defeated Skoda, 6-2, 7-5, which gave LSU the lead.
Chiarelli and freshman Mykala Hedberg brought both their matches into a third set but could not hang on and dropped the final matches of the evening.
LSU is the highest-ranked opponent Kansas has beaten this season.
“This was a great win for our program,” Kansas coach Amy Hall-Holt said in a news release. “Hopefully we can build on this as we enter a pivotal part of our season.”
Contact Jay St. Pierre at [email protected]
Women’s tennis falls to Kansas
March 22, 2006