Kentucky Women’s Tennis Falls Short at LSU
BATON ROUGE, La. – The No. 52 Kentucky women’s tennis team dropped a 4-1 decision to LSU on Friday at the LSU Tennis Complex in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Following the loss, the Wildcats fall to 12-6 on the year and 0-5 in Southeastern Conference action while the Tigers improve to 3-7 on the season and 2-3 in league play.
LSU began the match by claiming the doubles point, with Taylor Bridges and Safiya Carrington first defeating Ellie Eades and Carla Girbau, 6-1, on court two. Fiona Arrese and Lidia Gonzalez put together a strong comeback effort, but the pair could not overcome Ena Babic and Maggie Cubit who held on to clinch with a 6-4 win on the first court.
The Tigers soon extended their lead after Rania Azziz knocked off Eades with back-to-back 6-1 sets on the sixth court. Arrese then put UK on the board, besting Bridges in impressive fashion with a 6-4, 6-0 decision in the third spot to move to 10-6 on the year in singles.
However, two consecutive LSU wins on courts one and two, respectively, secured the match for the home team. Carrington topped No. 108 Carlota Molina, 6-4, 6-2, before Nina Geissler posted a 6-1, 7-6(2) victory over Girbau to seal the clinch.
Kentucky now travels to College Station to take on 12th-ranked Texas A&M on Sunday, March 20 at the Mitchell Tennis Center. First serve is set for 12 p.m. ET.
LSU 4, No. 52 Kentucky 1
Singles
1. Safiya Carrington (LSU) def. No. 108 Carlota Molina (UK) 6-4, 6-2
2. Nina Geissler (LSU) def. Carla Girbau (UK) 6-1, 7-6(2)
3. Florencia Urrutia (UK) vs. No. 89 Ena Babic (LSU) Unfinished
4. Fiona Arrese (UK) def. Taylor Bridges (LSU) 6-4, 6-0
5. Lidia Gonzalez (UK) vs. Mia Rabinowitz (LSU) Unfinished
6. Rania Azziz (LSU) def. Ellie Eades (UK) 6-1, 6-1
Order of finish: 6, 4, 1, 2*
Doubles
1. Ena Babic/Maggie Cubitt (LSU) def. Fiona Arrese/Lidia Gonzalez (UK) 6-4
2. Taylor Bridges/Safiya Carrington (LSU) def. Ellie Eades/Carla Girbau (UK) 6-1
3. Carlota Molina/Florencia Urrutia (UK) vs. Nina Geissler/Mia Rabinowitz (LSU) Unfinished
Order of finish: 2, 1*
For the latest on the Kentucky women’s tennis program, follow @UKWomensTennis on Twitter and Instagram, on Facebook, and on the web at UKathletics.com.
