Junior Amanda Mang will try to bounce back after her only singles loss of the season when the Lady Tigers host Rice on Sunday at 3 p.m. in the W.T. “Dub” Robinson Stadium.
LSU (5-0) also will attempt to extend its perfect spring record in the match.
Mang suffered her only singles loss last week to Amy Walgenbach of Purdue, in a match that could have gone either way.
LSU coach Tony Minnis said Mang is likely to bounce back from her first loss against Rice this week.
“She should be fine, she knows how competitive it is,” Minnis said. “I was more impressed with the way she played. She controlled most of that match.”
Mang echoed her coach’s sentiments, saying that she learns more from her losses. Mang said she always works on what goes wrong in her latest match to try to get better.
Mang remained undefeated in doubles competition with another impressive performance with partner Rocio Fantilli last weekend, putting up an 8-1 victory over Purdue’s No. 1 team of Gretchen Haynor and Melissa Woods.
“We always know we’re going to play hard, no matter who we play,” Fantilli said. “We play like we don’t have anything to lose, so we just try to do the best we can.”
Although the Lady Owls are ranked below the Tigers, Minnis said he recognizes they have a lot of talent.
“They are a very tough team, they have three players in the Top 100 in the country, so I think it’ll be tough,” Minnis said.
Minnis said Mang’s experience against top-ranked competition gives him confidence in her ability to beat other teams’ best players.
“She’s a proven winner, she’s been successful,” Minnis said.
Rice lost 8-of-9 matches against No. 14 William & Mary last week. William & Mary swept the Lady Owls in all six singles matches and won 2-of-3 matches in doubles, handing the Lady Owls their first loss as a team this season.
Mang said no one is taking Rice lightly, no matter how badly they were beaten.
“A lot of times if a team loses, they’re even more hungry to come out and get a win,” Mang said.