May 9, 2009
STANFORD, Calif.- After a hard-fought doubles competition, No. 25 LSU made quick work of No. 50 Long Beach State in a 4-0 victory during an NCAA Championship first round match at the Taube Family Tennis Stadium.
"We knew Long Beach State was a good doubles team, as we faced them last year and lost the doubles point," said LSU head coach Tony Minnis. "I thought we did our best to battle through doubles. Then we came out energized and looked really sharp in singles."
LSU (14-10, 3-7 SEC) and Long Beach State (18-8, 8-0 Big West) labored through doubles, with the Lady Tigers eventually claiming the point after one hour and 35 minutes. Knotted at 1-1, LSU's No. 3 duo of Nicole Kantor and Staten Spencer picked up a 9-8 (8-6) victory.
The doubles point gave LSU a 1-0 lead, and the Lady Tigers wasted little time in sealing the match.
In a battle of nationally-ranked players at the No. 1 position, LSU's Megan Falcon (No. 13) defeated Hannah Grady (No. 110) by a 6-1, 6-2 count.
Whitney Wolf followed with a 6-3, 6-3 win at the No. 3 spot and Spencer provided the clincher at No. 6 with a 6-3, 6-1 victory.
LSU advances to play the winner of this afternoon's Stanford/Wichita State contest. That match will be played tomorrow at 1 p.m.