There is an adage that reads, “It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish.”After winning two individual single titles earlier in the year at the Hoosier Classic in Indiana, the LSU women’s tennis team will push for a strong finish in its last tournament of the fall season today at the Harvard Invitational in Boston, Mass.The Lady Tigers’ four freshmen will get their first look at indoor courts this season, as the four-team tournament begins with doubles competition at 9 a.m., followed by singles action.Harvard, Cornell and Brown — all members of the Ivy League — will compete with LSU in the three-day, round robin tournament.This weekend will serve as a checkpoint for LSU women’s coach Tony Minnis’ squad, with the indoor season beginning in January.”It helps from a recruiting standpoint when you’re recruiting kids in the [Northeast] area and also helps get experience playing indoor tennis because we’re going to face that a lot in the early part of the spring season,” Minnis said. “Hopefully it will serve both purposes well.”LSU started hot in September as senior Nicole Kantor and freshman Ebie Wilson took home singles trophies in Indiana, winning the Flight 1 and Flight 3 Championships, respectively.Wilson and fellow freshman Kaitlin Burns’ play has impressed Minnis..
“Everybody has made some really nice strides,” Minnis said. “But they played pretty well considering it’s their first semester.”The duo has only a combined singles record of 7-10 in the fall, but Minnis likes the effort and the way the pair has been competing.—-Contact Sean Isabella at [email protected]