BATON ROUGE—Northwestern State couldn't quite solve LSU in a 7-0 defeat in its dual match season opener on Saturday at the LSU Tennis Complex.

NSU (0-1) came out strong in the second set of the singles matches, but the Tigers were too tough, winning all six.

"While we were shut out, I felt we competed very well on each court and, by and large, played pretty well. We simply got beat by a stronger opponent today," head coach Patric DuBois said.

Following a strong fall season, freshman Olivia Alfredsson picked up where she left off, taking reigning Louisiana Player of the Year Eden Richardson the distance before dropping the decisive pro set 10-5.

Alfredsson fell 6-0 in the first set, but bounced back in a big way, taking the second set 6-3. Richardson's late run clinched the match and the sweep for LSU.

"All of our players showed a lot of composure in each match today and got better the match progressed," DuBois said.

The Tigers jumped out of the gate with a sweep in the three doubles matches. At No. 1 doubles, the NSU tandem of Emilija Dancetovic and Ela Iwaniuk fell behind the LSU duo of Richardson and Nina Geissler 3-0, but rallied to take the lead before the Tigers came back to win 7-5.

LSU dominated the first set of all singles matches, sweeping NSU in two of them and only allowing one game in three others. The Lady Demons came out much stronger in the second set of several matches.

After the Tigers earned wins from No. 105 ranked player Paris Corley 6-1 at No. 3 against Patrycja Polanska, as well as Anna Loughlan over newcomer Gig Kanaphuet, LSU led 3-0.

Ela Iwaniuk played at the No. 2 spot, and had a strong second set, much like her teammates. Iwaniuk grabbed a 4-2 lead, but touted Tigers freshman Safiya Carrington showed why she is No. 61 in the country, rallying to win the set 6-4. That match ended at virtually the same time as Taylor Bridges' win at No. 1 against NSU freshman Mariella Minetti.

Facing a top-50 player in the country, Minetti battled back in the second set. After falling in the first 6-0, she split the first two points of the second set before Bridges went on a run to emerge victorious in the second set 6-2.

At No. 5, senior Judit Castillo Gargallo fell behind early in both sets, but she battled back. She spotted Geissler five points in the first set before Castillo Gargallo came back a bit but dropped the set 6-2. In the second set, she fell behind 5-1 and once again came back, but the comeback bid fell a bit short, losing 6-4.

"We'll build on all of the positives today and improve on a few things as we move forward," DuBois said.

The Lady Demons return to Natchitoches for their home opener next Saturday at the Jack Fisher Tennis Complex, as they welcome LSU-Alexandria for a doubleheader, beginning at 11 a.m.
 
LSU 7, Northwestern State 0
Women's Tennis at Baton Rouge, LA – (LSU Tennis Complex)
Singles
1. #42 Taylor Bridges (LSU) def. Mariella Minetti (NSU) 6-0, 6-2
2. #61 Safiya Carrington (LSU) def. Ela Iwaniuk 6-1, 6-4
3. #105 Paris Corley (LSU) def. Patrycja Polanska 6-1, 6-0
4. Eden Richardson (LSU) def. Olivia Alfredsson 6-0, 3-6. 10-5
5. Nina Geissler (LSU) def. Judit Castillo Gargallo 6-2, 6-4
6. Anna Loughlan (LSU) def. Gig Kanaphuet 6-1, 6-1
 
Doubles
1. Eden Richardson/Nina Geissler (LSU) def. Ela Iwaniuk/Emilija Dancetovic 7-5
2. Sofiya Carrington/Paris Corley (LSU) def. Mariella Minetti/Patrycja Polanska 6-2
3. Anna Loughlan/Taylor Bridges (LSU) def. Olivia Alfredsson/Judit Castillo Gargallo 6-0
 
Match Notes:
LSU 1-0
Northwestern State 0-1
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2,1); Singles (3,6,1,2,5,4)