The No. 19 LSU women’s tennis team proved dominant in their last match before the Southeastern Conference tournament, blowing past the Lady Jaguars of Southern University 7-0 on Tuesday at W.T. Robinson Stadium.
Southern was not orignally slated to play LSU, but due to two-straight rainouts with the University of Houston, the Lady Tigers added the Lady Jaguars to their schedule.
With the win, LSU (16-6, 6-5 SEC) earned its seventh-straight victory, dating back to a March 26 win at Ole Miss.
The Lady Tigers dominated from the beginning, earning the doubles point with a sweep of the three matches.
On the No. 1 doubles court, senior Jessica Ferguson and sophomore Marina Chiarelli crushed Francisca Osedumme and Kelli Nabors, 8-0.
Junior Amanda Mang and sophomore Daysi Espinal got past Ariana Marshall and Tania Hicks on the No. 2 court, 8-3.
On the No. 3 court, sophomore Lauren Seaman and sophomore Camila Caliari defeated Isoke Perry and Sarah Johnson, 8-0.
Coach Tony Minnis said the team accomplished what it needed to.
“Our girls did what they were supposed to do,” Minnis said. “It was nice to get Bonnie [White] in.”
White, a senior, earned her first victory of the season, defeating Johnson on the No. 6 singles court, 6-1, 6-2.
Mang said having White back in the lineup will help the team.
“I think it was good because she works just as hard as all of [the team],” Mang said. “It’s definitely good.”
Ferguson came back from a 3-0 defecit to defeat Marshall on the No. 1 court, 6-4, 6-0.
LSU’s other senior, Rocio Fantilli, sat out the match due to problems with her shoulder.
“She’s had some tendinitis in her shoulder,” Minnis said. “It’s come back to bother her some.”
LSU’s three seniors, White, Fantilli and Ferguson, will be honored next Friday in its regular season finale against Tulane.
On the No. 2 court, Marina Chiarelli eased past Nabors, 6-0, 6-2.
Seaman managed to get past Osedumme on the No. 3 court, 6-0, 6-3.
Caliari and Espinal both got wins on the No. 4 and No. 5 courts, respectively.
On the No. 4 court, Caliari crushed Perry, 6-1, 6-1.
Espinal manged to defeat Hicks on the No. 5 court, 6-1, 6-2.
With the SEC tournament one day away, Minnis said it was good to have a dominant performance.
“I think it’s actually good because we’ve had such a tough schedule,” Minnis said. “We’re playing hard.”
Mang added having a dominant performance can prove beneficial with the SEC tournament coming up.
“You get a chance to work on things you normally can’t work on,” Mang said. “But there’s still some pressure.”
The Lady Tigers will now travel to Nashville, Tenn., to take on the University of Arkansas in the first round of the tournament.
LSU defeated Arkansas just last week in Baton Rouge, 6-1.