LSU women’s tennis (9-2 (4-2 SEC)) faced off against No. 34 Mississippi State (9-5 (1-5 SEC)) on Sunday, looking to bounce back from their performance Friday night. After suffering a tough loss at the hands of the Ole Miss Rebels, the Tigers needed a win against Mississippi State if they wanted any chance to hold their position in the rankings.
With a win, the Tigers would have a 4-2 record in SEC play, which looks a lot better than 3-3.
On Friday, the main problem wasn’t that they were outplayed or unprepared for Ole Miss. The match was neck-and-neck but because Ole Miss was able to take the doubles point (which typically acts as the edge-point if singles in even), the Tigers needed four out of six courts in singles to win, which is a huge challenge.
So of course, it was a big deal when the Tigers managed to take the doubles point against Mississippi State. Similar to last match, one of LSU’s courts took control early, while two others were close.
With Court Two being won by Paris Corley and Taylor Bridges, Courts One and Three weren’t that easy, as both courts sat in tiebreakers. But unlike the match against Ole Miss, the Tigers were the ones who were clutch, as LSU’s youngest duo, freshman Samantha Buyckx and sophomore Maggie Cubitt, came out on top (7-6 (7-4)).
“It’s pretty exciting,” Cubitt said regarding their play together. “Me and Sam have never played a match together, so for us to go out and go up 5-2, come back down to 5-6, then figure out a way to win was exciting not just for us, but for the team.”
“We haven’t won very many doubles points this year,” she said, “so finally being able to get a doubles win, win a match in high fashion and keep the momentum was very positive.”
Right out of the gates of singles, the Tigers demonstrated what they could do when almost everyone is at their best. Five of six courts won their first sets, with No 41. Taylor Bridges’ performance being particularly impressive.
After a tough loss to No. 39 Sabina Machalova of Ole Miss, she entered her next ranked match just two days later against No. 69 Emma Antonaki. And she certainly didn’t disappoint, as in the first set, she won 6-1.
Though the start of the second set was making it seem like it would be closer (at one point being tied at 2-2), Bridges quickly reignited and won the last four games to give herself a victory score of 6-1, 6-2. Bridges was.
“I feel like for me the only expectation I have for myself is just in my effort and attitude,” Bridges iterated. “As long as I’m doing my best, trying my best and staying positive that just keeps me going.”
Her teammates quickly followed suit, as Maggie Cubitt and Nina Geissler each earned victories. This completed LSU’s bounce-back victory, improving LSU’s overall record to 9-2 and their SEC record to a respectable 4-2.
The Tigers have proven themselves this year, with strong performances against strong SEC teams like No. 9 Vanderbilt, No. 34 Mississippi State, No. 35 South Carolina and more. But we will truly get to witness how good this team is next weekend, as they will face off against both No. 3 Georgia and No. 21 Tennessee that weekend.
