The LSU women’s tennis team went out with a bang in its final match of the regular season Saturday at W.T. “Dub” Robinson Stadium. They upset No. 15 Arkansas, 5-2.
Emotions were riding high during the doubles point as LSU junior Staten Spencer and sophomore Nicole Kantor were last on the court with the chance to secure an early lead for LSU.
With the score 6-5, the duo appeared to go up 7-5 when Spencer hit a ball down the line. But her shot was ultimately called out after some controversy broke out.
Spencer said Kantor was great at staying calm in the face of adversity Saturday.
“I hit it, and I was standing right on the line, and it looked obviously really good,” Spencer said. “And then the referee went with [Arkansas’] call and it got in my head a little bit. But Nicole just kept saying, ‘Just focus on this point,’ and she did a really good job.”
Both Kantor and Spencer carried the momentum from their 1 hour, 58 minute doubles match into their singles matches. Kantor clinched the upset win for LSU in a come-from-behind victory against senior Maryori Franco, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, and Spencer came out on top in a tight straight-set win, 7-5, 7-6 (5), against senior Audrey Bordeleau.
LSU junior Megan Falcon, the 18th-ranked player in the country, helped lead the Lady Tigers to victory in her singles match against the nation’s top-ranked player, Arkansas junior Aurelija Miseviciute. Falcon controlled the match throughout and avenged a loss to Miseviciute in the fall with a 6-3, 6-1 win.
“I had already played her in the fall, so I had a pretty good idea of how she played,” Falcon said. “And [LSU coach] Tony [Minnis] got some good scouting reports from some other coaches that had players who had beaten her this year, so I had a really good game plan today and just stuck to it.”
Minnis was proud of Falcon’s performance to close the regular season.
“It was quite a win,” Minnis said. “She’s a legitimate top-five player, and she proved it [Saturday], beating the top player in the country. That’s pretty impressive.”
LSU began the day by honoring the team’s two seniors, Tiffany Tucker and Anastasiya Dubova, who suffered a season-ending ankle injury in February.
Tucker could not seal a win in doubles or singles on senior day. She and sophomore Hannah Robinson fell 8-5, and Tucker lost 6-2, 6-4, to Arkansas’ Nanar Airapetian.
The Lady Tigers’ scheduled season finale at home Tuesday against Northwestern State has been canceled. LSU will resume play Thursday in the Southeastern Conference Tournament in Auburn, Ala.
LSU will be the sixth seed in the tournament and will face 11th-seeded Alabama in the first round Thursday. If the Lady Tigers win, they will square off against Arkansas in the second round in a rematch of Saturday’s contest.
—-Contact Rachel Whittaker at [email protected]