Women's Tennis Drops 4-2 Match to LSU
March 5, 2017
COLUMBIA, S.C. — No. 19 South Carolina women’s tennis team suffered a 4-2 loss at No. 37 LSU on Sunday at the W.T. ‘Dub’ Robinson Stadium in Baton Rouge, La. South Carolina dropped to 9-3 and 1-1 in the SEC, while the Tigers improved to 8-3 overall and 1-1 in the league.
South Carolina dropped a close double point to dig itself in an early hole. LSU’s Jessica Golovin and Skylar Holloway upended Rachel Rohrabacher and Mia Horvit first at the No. 3 spot and No. 43 Joana Valle Costa and Ryann Foster defeated No. 27 Paige Cline and Hadley Berg to secure the point on court one.
LSU quickly added to their lead in singles with a pair of straight set victories. Foster (95) defeated Cline (110) on court three 6-2, 6-2, and No. 52 Jade Lewis followed with a 6-3, 7-6(4) win against Horvit (100) at the No. 1 spot.
But the Gamecocks weren’t ready to quit, sending the remaining four matches to three sets. Senior Brigit Folland found her groove after falling 2-6 in the first set to blank her opponent in the following two sets. Silvia Chinellato (119) contributed her point in the Gamecock rally with a three-set 2-6, 6-2, 6-3 triumph over Jessica Golovin on court four, cutting the Tiger lead to just one. But No. 87 Valle Costa overcame Caroline Dailey in the third set 3-6, 6-1, 6-3 to clinch the match for LSU and make a 4-2 final.
Quotable
Head Coach Kevin Epley
“Overall, I feel we fought hard. LSU came after us in a big way, so we have to credit them and their preparation for this match. Our doubles still continue to need work ââ’¬” it’s been a bit of an Achilles heel lately. In singles, we know what we need to work on, so it’s just a matter of plugging away and getting ready for the next match against Florida next week.”
Up Next
The Gamecocks return to action Saturday, March 11 to face No. 1 Florida in Gainesville, Fla.
