Saturday, May 2
LSU Tennis Complex- Baton Rouge, LA
2:00 p.m.
Stephen F. Austin
at
Louisiana State University
SFA Meets LSU in NCAA First Round
4/30/2026 2:15:00 PM | Women's Tennis
The Lumberjacks return to NCAA Tournament, facing No. 10 Tigers in Baton Rouge on Saturday
NACOGDOCHES, Texas – The 2026 Southland Champions Stephen F. Austin women's tennis team heads to Baton Rouge to face the No. 10 seed LSU Tigers in the first round of the 2026 NCAA Women's Tennis Championship. All match-day coverage, including live scoring, tickets, tournament information, and live broadcasts, can be found at sfajacks.com. The match is scheduled for Saturday, May 2, at 2:00 p.m. in Baton Rouge at the LSU Tennis Complex.
A GLANCE AT THE BRACKET
A BLAST FROM THE PAST
GEAUXING INTO TIGER TERRITORY
BACK-TO-BACK JACKS
Head Coach Drew Lambert shared his remarks about heading to the NCAA Tournament, stating, "Going to the NCAA Tournament as the repeat Southland Champions is an incredible accomplishment by this team. I'm living the dream that every coach in America has." He also said, "It's crazy to think that at this time last year, I was doing the same thing but at the D3 level. I'm ecstatic to be the leader of this program, and to see how far we have come from the start of the season."
Lambert also shared this about the team: "For our team, I know that this group is excited to be back in Baton Rouge. Going to the NCAA Tournament is something that most athletes will never get to live, and this team has done it twice. They are excited to face a top team, LSU, in this regional and to test their mettle against a top 10 team." Lambert finished his statement by stating, "For the seniors, I know they are proud of how we finished the SLC Tournament and ready to see if we can keep going. This group is hungry to keep playing with and for each other."
A GLANCE AT THE BRACKET
- The winner between SFA and LSU will go on to face the winner between TCU and Rice in the second round at the LSU Tennis Complex.
- SFA is one of nine universities in the state of Texas to earn a berth into the NCAA Women's Tennis Championship.
- The Lumberjacks punched their ticket into the bracket after defeating Texas A&M – Corpus Christi, 4-3, in the Southland Tournament finale, clinching their third NCAA Tournament appearance through the Southland AQ.
- LSU is making its 27th NCAA Tournament appearance in program history, after falling 4-3 to No. 3 seed Auburn in the SEC Championship.
A BLAST FROM THE PAST
- The Lumberjacks and Tigers square off for just the second time in program history, with the first meeting between both sides being during the first round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament.
- LSU took down SFA 4-0 in Baton Rouge during the 2025 NCAA Tournament, as the Tigers advanced all the way to the quarterfinals before UNC defeated LSU, 4-2.
- The first time SFA appeared in the NCAA Tournament was in 2012, as the Jacks fell to Tulsa 4-0 in Waco.
GEAUXING INTO TIGER TERRITORY
- LSU enters postseason play with a 19-9 record.
- The Tigers sat one game above .500 in SEC play, at 8-7.
- LSU is a familiar face to Southland foes, as the Tigers played their season opener against Northwestern State, with the Tigers defeating the Demons 7-0.
- LSU slid up and down the national rankings, sitting between the No. 4 spot and No. 15 spot throughout the season.
- LSU went 101-61 in singles matches for the 2026 season.
- The Tigers went 26-19 in singles matches against nationally ranked individual opponents.
- Addison Lanton led the charge for the Tigers in singles matches, with a 26-7 record.
- Lanton also brings her 11-match winning streak into the NCAA Tournament.
- Lanton was named to the All-SEC Second Team and All-SEC Freshman Team this season.
- Alongside Lanton, Kayla Cross and Ella McDonald earned spots on the All-SEC Second Team.
- Cadence Brace was named to the All-SEC First Team this season after posting a 10-5 singles record and a 5-7 doubles record.
- LSU had a 48-33 doubles record, going 10-13 in doubles against nationally ranked opponents.
- McDonald and Kenna Erickson lead the Tigers' win total in doubles, posting nine wins.
- The Tigers have a 13.1 ITA team average and are currently ranked 10th in the nation.
BACK-TO-BACK JACKS
- SFA makes back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances for the first time in program history.
- Drew Lambert makes his first NCAA DI Women's Tennis Tournament appearance as a head coach.
- Lambert also collected his 100th career victory with his win in the 2026 Southland Championship.
- SFA heads to Baton Rouge with an 11-8 record on the year, going 6-3 in conference action.
- The Jacks are currently riding a five-match win streak.
- The Jacks post a 50-59 singles record.
- Ana Paula Chavez has won six straight singles matches, with three of those wins accounting for the match-winning point for SFA, all coming during the Southland tournament.
- Sonja Rooth leads the team in singles wins with 11.
- Ksenia Mamontova has the highest single-match win rate at .750.
- Antonella Taco looks to stay hot with a four-match win streak with a 9-8 singles record.
- In doubles, SFA sports a 25-26 record.
- Mamontova and Alkmini Giannakogiorgou have a five-match doubles win streak, with a team high of eight wins together, matching Avery Kinsey and Ana Paula Chavez in doubles wins.
- The Jacks are 0-1 in doubles matches against ranked opponents.
- A win against LSU would mark SFA's first NCAA Tournament victory in program history.
- The Lumberjacks currently have a 19.35 ITA team average.
Head Coach Drew Lambert shared his remarks about heading to the NCAA Tournament, stating, "Going to the NCAA Tournament as the repeat Southland Champions is an incredible accomplishment by this team. I'm living the dream that every coach in America has." He also said, "It's crazy to think that at this time last year, I was doing the same thing but at the D3 level. I'm ecstatic to be the leader of this program, and to see how far we have come from the start of the season."
Lambert also shared this about the team: "For our team, I know that this group is excited to be back in Baton Rouge. Going to the NCAA Tournament is something that most athletes will never get to live, and this team has done it twice. They are excited to face a top team, LSU, in this regional and to test their mettle against a top 10 team." Lambert finished his statement by stating, "For the seniors, I know they are proud of how we finished the SLC Tournament and ready to see if we can keep going. This group is hungry to keep playing with and for each other."
#AxeEm x #orELSE
THE 'JACKS HAVE GONE MOBILE
SFA Athletics' newest mobile phone application is designed to bring Lumberjack fans closer to the action than ever before. Available now on both the App Store and Google Play, the new SFA Athletics app delivers schedules, scores, rosters, news, ticket access, and exclusive content right to your phone. Fans can also receive push notifications, so they never miss a moment of the action. Download now: Official SFA Athletics App.
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Players Mentioned
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/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
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