Tulane University
LSU
12th-Ranked Women's Tennis Tops No. 20 LSU
Apr 23, 2004 | Women's Tennis
April 23, 2004
BATON ROUGE, La. - - BATON ROUGE, La. - The Tulane women's tennis team picked up its 16th straight win in impressive fashion, claiming a 5-2 win over No. 20 LSU at the LSU Tennis Courts on Friday.
Tulane, ranked 12th by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association, improves to 25-1 overall with the win, including a 16-1 mark against ranked foes. LSU, which had a 44-match win streak against in-state opponents snapped, falls to 18-8 overall. The Tigers are ranked 20th by the ITA.
LSU, playing at home on Senior Day, won on courts one and two to claim the opening doubles point. It marked just the third time this season that the Wave had failed to capture the doubles point.
But Tulane made up for it in singles play, winning convincingly on the lower five courts. Jenny Kuhn, ranked 104th in singles by the ITA, had little trouble with LSU's Rocio Fantilli at the No. 2 spot, posting a 6-1, 6-2 victory. Julie Smekodub, ranked 61st, added a 6-1, 5-7, 6-4 win over Marina Chiarelli on court three. Darya Ivanov, ranked 88th, was a 6-4, 6-1 winner over Amanda Mang at the No. 4 spot, while fellow freshman Dorottya Magas added a 7-6, 7-6 win over Lauren Seaman on court five. Nancy Kockott cruised to a 6-2, 6-1 win over Daysi Espinal at the No. 6 spot.
"This was a great win in which the whole team contributed," Tulane head coach David Schumacher said. "Even though the match was in Baton Rouge, we had tremendously vocal fan support, which we appreciate immensely. LSU fought very hard and it was a tough match. They are a very well-coached team. I think (LSU coach) Tony Minnis deserves some consideration for National Coach of the Year. He has done a great job with his team this season."
Tulane now awaits the announcement of the NCAA Tournament field. As Conference USA champions, the Wave are guaranteed a spot in the 64-team field.
Tulane 5, LSU 2
Doubles
No. 1 Fantilli-Seaman (LSU) def. Smekodub-D. Ivanov 8-4
No. 2 Ferguson-Chiarelli (LSU) def. Nancy Kockott/Dorottya Magas 8-5
No. 3 Mang-Espinal (LSU) vs. Ivanov-Kuhn (TU) 3-7, unfinished
Singles
No. 1 Jessica Ferguson (LSU) def. Maria Ivanov 6-0, 6-4
No. 2 Jenny Kuhn (TU) def. Rocio Fantilli 6-1, 6-2
No. 3 Julie Smekodub (TU) def. Marina Chiarelli 6-1, 5-7, 6-4
No. 4 Darya Ivanov (TU) def. Amanda Mang 6-4, 6-1
No. 5 Dorottya Magas (TU) def. Lauren Seaman 7-6, 7-6
No. 6 Nancy Kockott (TU) def. Daysi Espinal 6-2, 6-1
Players Mentioned
