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No. 13 Women’s Tennis downed by No. 9 LSU, 4-2
03.21.2025 | Women's Tennis
The Longhorns won the doubles point and took three singles matches to third sets, but came up just short.
Austin – No. 13 Texas Women's Tennis was downed by No. 9 LSU, 4-2, on Friday at the Texas Tennis Center. The Longhorns took three matches to third sets, but came up just short.
Texas had a strong doubles performance in securing the point with wins at Nos. 3 and 2, but LSU responded with singles wins at Nos. 6, 1 and 4. The other three singles matches all went to third sets with the Longhorns holding leads in two of them and on serve late in the other, but after freshman No. 20 Carmen Herea won at No. 3, the Tigers clinched at No. 2. Junior Vivian Ovrootsky had been leading her match at No. 5. UT was missing senior Sabina Zeynalova for the match due to injury, while freshman Ariana Anazagasty-Pursoo was also pulled from the singles lineup after playing doubles.
Herea and Eszter Meri got things started for Texas in doubles with a 6-4 win over Gaby Rivera and Kenna Erickson at No. 3. After both teams held their opening serves at deuce starting with the Longhorns, the Tigers broke first and consolidated for a 3-1 lead. However, Texas answered with a 3-0 of their own to get back on serve, and after LSU held for 4-4, the Longhorns took the last two games, including a deuce-point break for the match.
Doubles was evened as the No. 27 duo of Anazagasty-Pursoo and freshman Ashton Bowers fell to the No. 7 pair Cadence Brace and Kayla Cross, 6-4, at No. 1. The Longhorns had a break chance in the opening game on a deuce point, but the Tigers managed to hold and then broke for a 2-0 lead. However, Texas broke back to put the match on serve, and that's where it stayed almost all the way until LSU broke for the win on a deuce point.
That left the double decision to No. 2 where freshmen Charlotte Kempenaers-Pocz and Salma Drugdova clinched it with a top-30 win over No. 29 Tilwith Di Girolami and Anita Sahdiieva, 7-5. Texas' first four service games all went to deuce, including the first two, which they won and surrounded a break with for a 3-0 lead. After LSU held for 3-1, the Longhorns picked up another deuce-point hold for 4-1. However, when UT's next serve went to deuce, this time the Tigers were able to break. The then held their own serve at deuce for 4-4. The next three games were then on serve, including another deuce-point hold for Texas for a 6-5 lead. On the first point of the following game, LSU was overruled on a call by the umpire, resulting in a penalty that delivered the game and the match to Texas.
The overall match was then squared as Drugdova was defeated by Erickson, 6-0, 6-4, at No. 6. Erickson won the first nine games of the match, including four deuce points, to take the first set and establish a 3-0 lead in the second. Two of those deuce points were in the first and second games of the second set, and Drugdova continued with her improved play in the set by winning four of the next five games for 4-4. After Erickson regained the lead on serve, following game went to deuce and she was able to break for the match.
That would be the first of three-straight wins for LSU with the next coming as No. 73 Bowers fell to No. 42 Brance, 6-2, 6-3, at No. 1. After Bowers held to open the match, Brance went on a 5-0 run, including a deuce-point hold for 3-1. Bowers held again for 5-2 and had a break-point at deuce in the next game, but Brance held to take the set. Brance then broke to open the second set and later broke again for a 5-2 lead. Bowers got a game back on a deuce-point break, but Brance broke again for the match.
LSU then took a 3-1 lead as Kempenaers-Pocz was downed by Kinaa Graham, 6-4, 6-4, at No. 4. Both players broke to start the match before Kempenaers-Pocz held and broke again on a deuce point for a 3-1 lead. However, Graham answered the deuce-point break and held for 3-3. The next three games were all breaks, including at deuce in the last one for a 5-4 lead for Graham. That would be the first of two-straight deuce point wins for her as she held for the set. In the second, Kempenaers-Pocz held and broke on a deuce point for a 2-0 lead. However, Graham broke back and held for 2-2. The next two games both went to deuce the set stayed on serve until Graham broke again on a deuce point and then served out the match.
With the remaining three matches all going to third sets, Herea cut the overall lead for LSU to 3-2 with a 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 win over No. 102 Di Girolami. In the first set, both players broke to begin it, but Herea held for a 2-1 lead. The next three games stayed on serve despite both of Di Girolami's serves going to deuce. She then closed the set on a 3-0 run. In the second, both players broke again before Di Girolami held for a 2-1 lead and broke on a deuce point for 3-1. Herea broke back and held on a deuce point for 3-3, and after Di Girolami also held, Herea went on a 6-0 run for the set and a 3-0 lead in the third. The next four games were then all breaks, capped by one for Herea at deuce for a 5-2 lead before she held to win.
The clinch came as No. 54 Meri fell to No. 50 Cross, 1-6, 6-3, 6-4, at No. 2. Meri controlled the first set, bookending 3-0 runs for the set, capped by a deuce-point hold. That would be the first of five-straight deuce points, but Cross won the next three of those to begin the second set. Meri took the fifth one of that string for 3-1 and broke for 3-2, but Cross grabbed the next two games for 5-2. Meri got one more game on a deuce-point hold, but cross held as well to send it to a third set. There, Cross jumped out to a 3-0 lead, including two breaks, but Meri responded with the same to get back to 3-3. The next three games were all breaks until Cross finally held for the match.
That left one match unfinished where Ovrootsky was leading Sahdiieva, 6-3, 4-6, 4-3, at No. 5. Ovroosky broke first for a 3-2 lead that was part of a 4-0 run to go from a 2-1 deficit to a 5-2 lead. Sahdiieva broke on a deuce point to one game back, but Ovrootsky broke again for the set. In the second, Ovrootsky held on a deuce point to start it, but Sahdiieva went on a 4-0 run. Ovrootsky got within 4-3 and 5-4 on a deuce point, but Sahdiieva maintained her lead for the set. In the third, Ovrootsky got out to a 2-0 lead with a deuce-point hold and a break, and although Sahdiieva took the lead with a 3-0 run, Ovrootsky responded with the last two games before play stopped.
The Longhorns (10-7, 4-4 SEC) will next host No. 49 Ole Miss on Sunday at 12 p.m. CT at the Texas Tennis Center.
#9 LSU 4, #13 Texas 2
Singles – Order of Finish (6,1,4,3,2)
1. #42 Cadence Brace (LSU) def. #73 Ashton Bowers (TEX) 6-2, 6-3
2. #50 Kayla Cross (LSU) def. #54 Eszter Meri (TEX) 1-6, 6-3, 6-4
3. #20 Carmen Herea (TEX) def. #102 Tilwith Di Girolami (LSU) 3-6, 6-4, 6-2
4. Kinaa Graham (LSU) def. Charlotte Kempenaers-Pocz (TEX) 6-4, 6-4
5. Vivian Ovrootsky (TEX) vs. Anita Sahdiieva (LSU) 6-3, 4-6, 4-3, unf.
6. Kenna Erickson (LSU) def. Salma Drugdova (TEX) 6-0, 6-4
Doubles – Order of Finish (3,1,2)
1. #7 Cadence Brace/Kayla Cross (LSU) def. #27 Ariana Anazagasty-Pursoo/Ashton Bowers (TEX) 6-4
2. Salma Drugdova/Charlotte Kempenaers-Pocz (TEX) def. #29 Tilwith Di Girolami/Anita Sahdiieva (LSU) 7-5
3. Carmen Herea/Eszter Meri (TEX) def. Gaby Rivera/Kenna Erickson (LSU) 6-4
Players Mentioned
