The LSU womens tennis team only mustered a doubles win as it closed out its exhibition season this weekend at the Michigan Classic in Ann Arbor, Mich.
The sophomore Anastasiya Dubova and freshman Mykala Hedberg tandem defeated California duo Bojana Bobusic and Marion Ravelojaona 8-6.
“We obviously didn’t get what we wanted in terms of wins,” said coach Tony Minnis in a news release. “But I saw a lot of good things happen this weekend. For instance I got to see the competitiveness of Anastasiya, and saw that Mykala can play with some of the best.”
Dubova also pushed two of her singles matches into three sets and was only one of two LSU players to win a set.
Senior Lauren Seaman was the other Tiger to win a set, but she lost the match 6-3, 6-7, 5-1 to No. 48 ranked Nina Yaftali of Michigan.
The No. 43 ranked Lady Tigers went a combined 0-15 in singles play and 1-5 in doubles play against No. 4 Georgia Tech, No. 17 California, and No. 35 Michigan.
Eleven of those 20 losses came against nationally ranked opponents, including two in the top 10.
“This tournament gave our team a chance to play against some of the best programs in the country,” Minnis said. “Senior Lauren Seaman took a ranked opponent to the third set, and we will work hard to improve before the regular season begins.”
Last season, the Lady Tigers made their 11th consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament under Minnis and finished with a 12-12 record (4-7 in the Southeastern Conference).
LSU fell to TCU 4-1 in the first round, extending their winless streak to five tournaments. The last tournament win came in LSU’s Sweet 16 run in 2000.
“Last year’s 12-12 record is a little misleading because we played in an extremely tough conference as well as difficult non-conference matches,” Minnis said. “We are capable of being a top 20 or 25 team, but we have to do a better job of closing out teams when we have the opportunity.”
LSU will face another tough schedule this season, including a four-game stretch against the SEC East in March and non-conference games against No. 14 TCU and No. 50 Florida State.
The SEC East had three of the top four seeds in the NCAA Tournament last spring and two more teams in the top 16.
In singles play, LSU struggled in the one and two spots last year, posting a combined record of 15-33.
The only departure from the 2005 spring squad is Amanda Mang, who went 7-17 in the one spot.
SEC opponents regularly have nationally-ranked players in the top two spots. The Tigers’ record against ranked opponents for the spring and fall of 2005 was 5-36.
The Tigers depth was considerably better last spring, achieving a 59-34 mark in spots three through six.
“We struggled up high last year, and we don’t have a clear-cut number one or number two this year,” Minnis said. “We have players with that type of ability, but we need them to step in and fill that role.”
Potential replacements for Mang include seniors Lauren Seaman, Marina Chiarelli and Camila Caliari, sophomore Tiffany Tucker and
freshman Mykala Hedberg.
“One of the things this program needed was kids with character when these seniors came in four years ago,” Minnis said. “They have played through a lot of adversity and it would be nice for them to go out on top.”
Seaman played in the No. 2 spot last season with an 8-11 mark, but went 0-7 in SEC play. She did not fare much better in the fall, posting a 2-8 mark.
Chiarelli manned the third spot (4-2) and fourth spot (9-6) and compiled a 7-4 SEC record. She captured the singles title in her flight at the Maryland Invitational last fall.
“The seniors on this team are more experienced and we have to be mentally tough to be able to win,” Chiarelli said. “It doesn’t matter if you play in the one, two or six spot. You still have to be mentally tough and ready to compete.”
Tucker led the Tigers with 14 dual-match wins last spring, doing most of her damage at the five spot (12-6). She posted a 3-8 mark in the fall.
Caliari played mostly in the sixth spot (10-3) and also produced a 7-4 SEC record. She played sparingly this fall because of a chronic foot injury suffered two years ago.
“The injury causes inflammation in the bottom of my foot,” Caliari said. “Some days it hurts, and other days I feel pretty good. It really limits the explosion I can get off of my feet.”
Hedberg posted a 4-5 record in the top flight of competition in the fall, but two of those losses came against ranked opponents.
“If Mykala can continue to mature and work hard, she is capable of having a special season,” Minnis said.
In doubles play, LSU returns the No. 60 ranked Seaman and Tucker duo and the tandem of Caliari and Chiarelli from a team that compiled a 40-28 record last spring.
Although Seaman and Tucker struggled to a 6-5 fall record, the duo posted a 12-5 mark (3-3 SEC) last spring.
“When these two were paired up last year, they were a dynamic team,” Minnis said. “They didn’t play up to their potential this fall, but they are playing better. If we can keep them playing consistently, they can do some nice things this year.”
The Tigers will start regular season play Jan. 21 against Prairie View A&M at W.T. ‘Dub’ Robinson Stadium.
“This team is comparable to the 2004 SEC West championship team in that we are very solid up and down the line,” Minnis said. “If we can keep players healthy and stay focused, then we can have a really good year.”
 
Contact Matt Vines at [email protected]