TIGER RAG NEWS SERVICES
The No. 10-seeded LSU women’s tennis team had a fast start but was unable to rally against No. 2-seeded Auburn, dropping the contest 4-1, on Friday afternoon at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex in Athens, Georgia, at the NCAA quarterfinals.
LSU finishes the season with a 22-10 mark while Auburn moves to 36-3.
“Obviously, it’s a tough pill to swallow today, especially whenever it’s the end of your season,” said head coach Taylor Fogleman. “Huge credit to Auburn, their players and staff. We really took it to them in the initial part of singles, but credit to them again because their kids battled hard just like ours. And we came up a couple of points short.”
Carolina Kuhl and Addison Lanton took on the third spot in a bout with Ashton Bowers and Ekaterina Khairutdinova to open doubles play. In the opening stages, little separated the two teams as they advanced through their service games with authority. Midway through, Bowers and Khairutdinova earned the decisive break to go ahead 5-3, giving them the separation they needed down the stretch. The Auburn pair captured the final three games to secure the 6-3 victory.
No. 40 Cadence Brace and Kayla Cross entered the top doubles spot in a tense battle with No. 2 DJ Bennett and Ava Esposito. After each pair settled into the match with their opening service games, Brace and Cross forged ahead with an early break, quickly advancing their lead to 3-1. The Canadian duo remained steady through the middle stages, maintaining a comfortable two-game cushion. Brace and Cross proved formidable in crunch time, posting a 6-4 scoreline to close out the match. The Canadian duo earned their highest-ranked result of the season and their third-ranked victory overall.
Attention turned to court two as No. 17 Kenna Erickson and Ella McDonald faced No. 8 Angella Okutoyi and Merna Refaat. The set started with a 2-0 lead, which was quickly erased before being leveled 2-2. After Erickson and McDonald widened their gap to two games at 4-2, the Auburn duo put together an impressive four-game stretch. Okutoyi and Refaat emerged victorious with a 6-4 win, giving Auburn the 1-0 lead over LSU at the conclusion of doubles play.
Opening singles play, No. 21 Cross took on No. 31 Khairutdinova on court 2. After trailing early in the opening set, Cross battled back and eventually served for the set at 6-5 before Khairutdinova forced a tiebreak and claimed the opener, 7-6(4). Cross again held momentum in the second set with a 4-2 lead, but Khairutdinova rallied late to secure the set 6-4 to give Auburn a 2-0 lead.
Next up, No. 77 McDonald took on her doubles foe, No. 55 Okutoyi, on the third court. McDonald cruised through the opening set after an early break, earning a dominant 6-1 win. After holding a 2-0 and later a 4-3 lead in the second set, McDonald fell short at 6-4. McDonald carried momentum in the deciding frame with an early 3-1 lead before Okutoyi rallied late to claim the set 6-4 for a 3-0 Auburn advantage.
Facing elimination, Kinaa Graham battled Eva Ionescu on court No. 6. Graham responded to an early deficit in the opening frame by winning four straight games to build a 5-2 lead before holding on for a 6-4 first-set victory. After Ionescu evened the match with a 6-0 second set, Graham fought back from a 3-0 deficit in the deciding frame and eventually tied the set at 4-4 and 5-5. Despite the rally, Ionescu claimed the final two games to secure the set 7-5 to clinch the win for Auburn.
No. 2 Auburn 4, No. 10 LSU 1
Singles
1. #9 Cadence Brace (LSU) def. #16 DJ Bennett (AUB) 6-3, 7-5
2. #21 Kayla Cross (LSU) fell to #31 E. Khairutdinova (AUB) 6-7 (4-7), 4-6
3. #77 Ella McDonald (LSU) fell to #55 Angella Okutoyi (AUB) 6-1, 4-6, 4-6
4. #96 Addison Lanton (LSU) vs. #58 Ashton Bowers (AUB) 6-3, 5-7, 4-1, unfinished
5. Carolina Kuhl (LSU) vs. #68 Ava Esposito (AUB) 7-5, 6-7 (3-7), 2-2, unfinished
6. Kinaa Graham (LSU) fell to Eva Ionescu (AUB) 6-4, 0-6, 5-7
Doubles
1. #40 Cadence Brace/Kayla Cross (LSU) def. #2 Ava Esposito/DJ Bennett (AUB) 6-4
2. #17 Kenna Erickson/Ella McDonald (LSU) fell to #8 Angella Okutoyi/Merna Refaat (AUB) 4-6
3. Carolina Kuhl/Addison Lanton (LSU) fell to E. Khairutdinova/Ashton Bowers (AUB) 3-6
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