The message was clear for No. 23 LSU (14-8) after losing 4-0 to number No. 4 South Carolina (14-3) — face adversity with positivity.
The difficulty began early for LSU with the doubles point. No. 10 ranked-duo of sophomore Eden Richardson and senior Jessica Golovin limited the No. 1 ranked-duo in the country to an unfinished match. The rest of the Lady Tigers didn’t have as much success.
Freshman Anna Loughlan and junior Paris Corley struggled during their doubles match. The duo lost 6-2 to South Carolina’s senior-duo of Rachel Rohrabacher and Paige Cline who were coming off of a doubles loss at Texas A&M.
Senior Kennan Johnson and sophomore Taylor Bridges also dropped their set. After Johnson and Bridges’ 6-4 loss, the Lady Tigers went into singles play at a severe disadvantage behind one point.
LSU co-head coach Julia Sell said LSU falls into a trap of losing the match after dropping “a few tight matches.”
With an early deficit, singles play never improved for LSU. Its highest ranked player, No. 10-ranked Richardson, fell first in straight sets, 6-2 and 6-1. The quick loss on court one didn’t leave LSU with a strong outlook for the rest of the match.
“We have gotten tentative and negative,” Sell said. “Moving forward we have to handle adversity with positive emotion.”
A comeback would have been difficult for LSU with being down 2-0 and became exponentially harder when Bridges fell 6-2 in both sets. The senior leader, Golovin, fought back after losing her first set and took a 4-2 lead in the second. The match remained unfinished when South Carolina completed the 4-0 sweep.
Johnson was the final match of the afternoon. The two-set match was closer than the others but all had the same outcome, a loss. Johnson lost in two 6-4 sets which gave South Carolina the victory. Golovin, Corley and Loughlan all had unfinished matches. Golovin was the only LSU player who had a lead in the remaining matches.
South Carolina’s win marks the fourth straight victory over a ranked opponent, all within SEC play.
LSU went into the weekend with a 4-4 SEC record. Two losses put the Lady Tigers at 4-6 and dropping in the SEC rankings. Only three matches remain for the season before the SEC tournament.
If one thing reigns true for LSU, it’s that there will be adversity throughout the remaining games and time is not on the Lady Tigers side.