The LSU women’s team (4-2) looks to bounce back from a disappointing loss at Florida State when they host South Florida (3-2) Friday at 4 p.m. at ‘Dub’ Robinson Stadium.
LSU looks to get back in the victory column against a competitive opponent in USF. USF is coming off of a convincing 7-0 win against Florida Gulf Coast after winning five of the six singles matches in straight sets.
The Lady Tigers look to improve on a 4-1 loss against Florida State, and Lady Tigers head coach Julia Sell said she thinks the loss has taught the team a lot heading into this top 60 showdown.
“We all felt that we should have won the match,” Sell said. “We have approached this week with the mentality that we all need to keep improving and stay focused on being better tennis players.”
One player in particular who has begun buying into Sell’s system is Duluth, Ga. native, freshman Abigail Owens.
Before Owens’ singles match win against Florida State, she had only two wins in her last nine singles matches. Sell said Owens was struggling early in the season because she was not making the right adjustments in practice.
“The week before the FSU match I had to kick [Owens] out of practice,” Sell said. “That was a real turning point for her. She is approaching every day now with a champion’s mentality and if she can continue to do that then the sky is the limit.”
Sell said she expects to see a lot better tennis from Owens in the future after earning a great win against Florida State.
Owens and the rest of the Lady Tigers squad will try to erase the loss to Florida State when the action begins at 4 p.m. on Friday.
These two squads are no strangers to each other as LSU and USF squared off on Jan. 24 with the Lady Tigers coming home with a 4-1 as part of ITA Kickoff Weekend.
Sell expects a great match between the two squads Friday.
“South Florida is a very good team,” Sell said. “They are smart, experienced players who compete extremely well. We had a battle with them down in Miami for the ITA Kickoff weekend and I expect to have another one this Friday.”