It took a three set tiebreaker for LSU freshman Mykala Hedberg to finish off Louisiana-Lafayette sophomore Tammy Day 6-3, 5-7, 10-5 Sunday on court one of W.T. ‘Dub’ Robinson Stadium.
Hedberg won the last three points of the tiebreaker, scoring the winning point on a shot that Day returned wide right.
“I was up on her the whole match, but I think I got a little too comfortable,” Hedberg said. “She calmed down and battled back in the second set. Even though we had won the match already, I wanted to shut her out in the third set.”
Hedberg’s win capped a 6-1 victory for the No. 43 Lady Tigers (3-0) over the Ragin’ Cajuns (0-1).
“Mykala has the ability to be that top player we have been looking for,” said coach Tony Minnis. “She put herself in some bad situations, but she is maturing and will improve on that. She has improved her forehand and she has made so much progress from the fall.”
Sophomore Tiffany Tucker also played a three-set match, but fell to Celine VanWeydeveld 6-2, 1-6, 6-1.
LSU also defeated Southern on Sunday and Louisiana Tech on Saturday, both 7-0 sweeps.
“This was a productive weekend,”Minnis said. “I am happy that our team was able to pull through all the delays and play well. We have to keep improving and making sure that we are mentally there on a consistent basis.”
LSU won 72 out of 75 total singles games against Louisiana Tech (0-1).
Hedberg won three matches in the first regular-season action of her college career.
“It’s nice to start out with a singles win under your belt. Honestly, I felt a little shaky out there,” Hedberg said. “It felt like I wasn’t really hitting the ball cleanly.”
Hedberg scored many of the points in her match against Louisiana Tech’s Monica Kelly by forcing her to scramble across the court and then hitting the ball to the opposite corner.
“When we shook hands after the match, [Kelly] looked at me and said ‘You wore me out,'” Hedberg said.
Out of the other five Lady Tigers, four beat their opponents in perfect 6-0, 6-0 fashion.
“We were kind of hesitating at the beginning, but we got pumped up and finished the weekend,” said senior Daysi Espinal said. “We have been practicing for so long, and we were very excited to finally get out on the court and play.”
 
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