LSU defeats Missouri 4-1 to advance

COLUMBIA, S.C. - Sophomore Skylar Holloway clinched her second SEC match of the season to help No. 24 LSU defeat Missouri, 4-1, and move the Lady Tigers to the quarterfinal of the SEC Tournament Thursday at the Carolina Tennis Center.

"We've faced extremely tough conditions here with the lack of indoor courts, but I'm so happy to see how our girls responded today," head coach Julia Sell said. "We really buckled down and we were in our game mentally and physically. We faced a tough Missouri team who is playing great tennis at the right time."

LSU defeated Missouri for the second time in two weeks. The match didn't start until 2:45 p.m. CT due to rain in the area. The teams were forced to play four indoor indoors but LSU got out to a 3-1 lead.

Skylar Kuykendall pushed her win total to 23 and continues to lead the nation in victories. The junior made quick work of Cassidy Spearman with a 6-2, 6-1 win on court two.

Joana Vale Costa put LSU out to a 2-0 lead with a 6-2, 7-6 victory over Kelli Hine on court one. The sophomore improved to 15-7 on the year and collected her seventh ranked.

Senior Noel Scott added to her win total with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Brianna Lashway on court four.

Missouri pushed courts five and six to play after Beatriz Machado Santos defeated Abby Owens 7-6, 6-4 on court three.

Holloway clinched the win for the Lady Tigers on court six with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Brittany Lashway.

LSU returns to action tomorrow at 1 p.m. CT for the quarterfinal match against Texas A&M. The two teams battled it out earlier this season in a close match at the 'Dub'. This marks the second straight year that the Lady Tigers have made the quarterfinal of the SEC Tournament.

"We're excited to have a chance at A&M again," Sell said. "We lost earlier in just a battle and I believe we let it slipped away. Both of our lineups are different and tomorrow will be a new day. We have to be disciplined because they are such a great team."