No. 46 Texas A&M Faces No. 32 LSU Friday in Baton Rouge
Mar 12, 2015 | Women's Tennis
"Our matchup with LSU is going to ask some questions about the metal of our team,” A&M head coach Howard Joffe said. “Once again, weather has curtailed our preparations and it would seem as if we won't get to practice in Baton Rouge based on the forecast. Likely our biggest hurdle is the fact that LSU is a vastly improved team and one that is skilled and hungry. I expect our ladies to meet the challenges head-on and get a little momentum going for our important homestand over spring break."
Texas A&M improved to 4-3, including 2-1 in Southeastern Conference matches, after opening its SEC home slate with a 5-2 upset over No. 26 South Carolina last Friday. The Aggies were also scheduled to host then-No. 2 Florida on Sunday but the match was postponed until March 24 due to inclement weather.
LSU, 11-5 overall and 2-2 in SEC action, is coming off its highest ranked win under third-year head coach Julia Sell after defeating the No. 26 Gamecocks, 5-2, on Sunday. With the win, the Tigers improved to 7-2 in home matches.
A&M owns a 25-10 record in the all-time series against the Tigers, including a 10-5 mark in matches played in Baton Rouge. Last year A&M shut out LSU, 4-0, in College Station, marking the Aggies' sixth consecutive victory against the Tigers. A&M was a 7-0 victor when the teams last met in Baton Rouge in 2013.
Individually, Aggie sophomore Rachel Pierson is a team-high No. 46 in this week's ITA singles rankings and is one of four A&M players listed in the rankings. The transfer from the University of Virginia leads A&M in singles victories with a 15-7 mark. She also is tied for the team lead in doubles wins with a 13-7 record, and she and freshman partner Eva Paalma are ranked No. 32 in doubles.
Sophomores Rutuja Bhosale and Saska Gavrilovska are Nos. 57 and 62, respectively, in singles, and junior Stefania Hristov rounds out A&M's ranked singles players at No. 123.
Hristov and junior Ines Deheza jumped into the doubles rankings this week at a team-high No. 29. The two, who played together for the first time in the SEC opener against Tennessee, are a perfect 3-0, all at the No. 2 line. They have clinched the doubles point for the Aggies in thrilling tiebreakers in each of the last two matches, including an 8-7 (11) victory against 16th-ranked Silvia Garcia and Kennedy Shaffer of Georgia to give the Aggies a 1-0 lead against the then-No. 2 Bulldogs.
The Tigers, who have won each of their last two matches, have two ranked singles players: No. 40 Joana Vale Costa and No. 115 Skylar Kuykendall. Vale Costa is 21-7 overall, including 7-4 in dual matches, all at the No. 1 line. Kuykendall is aiming for her 20th overall victory, as she is 19-7, including 13-3 in dual matches only, entering the match against the Aggies.
Kuykendall and Abigail Owens are No. 48 in doubles and lead the team with a 12-7 overall record.
Live scoring of the A&M-LSU match will be available here.
Following the match, A&M will begin a four-match homestand, starting Thursday, March 19 against former Big 12 Conference rival and eighth-ranked Baylor at the George P. Mitchell Tennis Center. The match against the Bears is the first of three top-10 teams the Aggies will face during the six-day homestand, as A&M hosts No. 31 Auburn on Friday, March 20, No. 6 and defending SEC regular-season champion Alabama on Sunday, March 22, and third-ranked and defending SEC Tournament champion Florida on Tuesday, March 24.
Visit 12thMan.com for more information on Texas A&M women's tennis. Aggie fans also can keep up to date with the A&M women's tennis team on Twitter by following @AggieWTEN or on Facebook at Facebook.com/AggieWomensTennis.
Players Mentioned
