Tennessee women’s tennis couldn’t get the best of LSU a second time, falling 4-1.
The No. 16 Lady Vols (13-9, 8-7 SEC) were eliminated on Thursday by the No. 15 Tigers (17-8, 8-7 SEC) in the second round of the SEC tournament. LSU claimed the doubles point and singles wins on courts 2, 3 and 5.
“That’s the best LSU team I’ve seen all year long,” head coach Alison Ojeda said. “We were right there, but they outplayed us.”
Katrina Scott and Maeve Thornton struggled and were off the court quickly for Tennessee, falling 6-1 to Addison Lanton and Carolina Kuhl on Court 3. Then, on Court 2, Catherine Aulia and Leyla Britez Risso fell to Kenna Erickson and Ella McDonald, 6-2, securing the doubles point for LSU.
Vanesa Suarez and Francesca Mattioli showed more promise in doubles for the Lady Vols, up 4-3 against Cadence Brace and Kayla Cross on Court 1.
LSU went up 2-0 in the dual as Suarez fell to McDonald in straight sets on Court 3, 6-1, 6-2. Suarez has now lost five singles matches in a row.
“That’s a spot we do need to get better at,” Ojeda said.
Then, the Tigers pushed the Lady Vols to the brink when Kuhl defeated Mattioli, 6-3, 6-4 on Court 5. Tennessee would need wins on courts 1, 2, 4 and 6 to pull off a comeback.
Thornton put the Lady Vols on the board with a 3-set victory on Court 6. Dropping the first set to Erickson 6-3, the junior battled back with a strong second set, winning 6-1. Then, Thornton continued her momentum in the third set and won it 6-3.
LSU crushed any thought of a comeback when Cross defeated Britez Risso on Court 2 to clinch the dual for the Tigers. Britez Risso dominated the first set, 6-1, but Cross came back to take the next set, 6-4. Britez Risso was battling, tied 3-3 in the third, but Cross stepped on the gas and won three straight games to seal the match and hand Britez Risso just her second singles loss of the year.
The Lady Vols had potential on the remaining courts. Aulia was up 4-3 in her third set against Lanton on Court 4. Scott was up 5-2 in her second set against Brace on Court 1 after losing a close first set, 7-5.
“At this point, we’ve got to become relentlessly stubborn competitors,” Ojeda said. “When something’s not going our way, now’s the time to be gritty and figure out another way to win the match.
Tennessee will head home for an extended break in anticipation of the NCAA tournament. The Lady Vols are right on the bubble of hosting the first two rounds, needing a top 16 overall seed to play at home.
“Postseason allows for a different level of competitiveness to come out,” Ojeda said. “Our team wants to play.”
The opening rounds of the NCAA tournament are set for May 1-3.
