Courtesy of LA Tech Athletic Communications
Following a 17-8 regular season and a perfect 5-0 record in league play, Louisiana Tech earned the No. 3 seed in the 2025 Conference USA Women’s Tennis Championship.
LA Tech, which earned its highest seeding ever since joining CUSA, will be matched up with No. 6 seed WKU. The quarterfinal contest, set to be streamed live on ESPN+, will be played on Thursday, April 17 at Noon CT at the Liberty Tennis Complex in Lynchburg, Virginia.
The Bulldogs carry plenty of positive momentum into the championship, having closed the season on a five-match winning streak which included conference victories over Kennesaw State, Liberty, and UTEP.
LA Tech has been led by its two captains Ana Rodrigues and Zoie Epps this spring. Rodrigues, the four-year senior from Montes Claros, Brazil, is 11-6 in dual singles while playing every match from the No. 1 position. She has won 10 of her last 13 completed matches, including three victories over league foes.
Then there is Epps who broke a 43-year-old program record this past Sunday when she claimed dual singles win No. 23. The sophomore has a remarkable 23-2 record while playing mostly from the No. 2 spot. She carries a 12-match winning streak into the championship.
The two have also teamed up to go 17-7 in dual doubles, which is tied for the most wins in program history. The duo has played every match from the top spot and are currently riding an eight-match winning streak.
The opponent, WKU, finished the regular season with a 15-9 overall record. The Lady Toppers are anchored by Rachel Hermanova and Sofia Blanco who have combined to go 29-13 in dual singles while playing at the top two spots. They have also teamed up in doubles to put together a 14-8 mark.
LA Tech and WKU are no strangers to facing off in a conference championship setting. The two programs squared off in the CUSA quarterfinals last season in Miami, which resulted in a 4-0 win for the Bulldogs. Thursday will mark the ninth time the ‘Dogs and Lady Toppers face off in postseason, dating back to their days as Sun Belt Conference foes.
LA Tech owns a slim 8-7 series advantage over WKU. The Bulldogs have won two straight and four of the last six matchups.
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Tech Duo earns C-USA Women’s Tennis Doubles Team of the Week
After helping Louisiana Tech go 4-0 in the last weekend of the regular season, the duo of Ana Rodrigues and Zoie Epps were named Conference USA Women’s Tennis Doubles Team of the Week as announced by the league office Tuesday.
This marks the third time this spring that Rodrigues/Epps have garnered the award, most of any doubles pairing in CUSA. It is also fifth overall time a tandem from LA Tech received the award this season.
Rodrigues and Epps teamed up to go 4-0 at the No. 1 position, helping the Bulldogs secure the doubles point and ultimately the win over CUSA foes Liberty and UTEP as well as two victories against Grambling State.
In the first matchup of the week against the Lady Flames, Rodrigues/Epps were able to hold serve to force a tiebreaker. The duo then won the first seven points to take the match, 7-6 (0). They turned around that evening and took care of GSU’s top pairing, 6-1.
Then on Sunday versus the Miners, Rodrigues/Epps found themselves down 2-4 before reeling off four straight games to take the win, 6-4. That was followed up by a 6-2 victory over the Lady Tigers.
The pairing is now riding an 8-match winning streak, having improved to 17-7 on the season which is tied for the most dual doubles wins in a single season in program history.
The two captains will now lead LA Tech into the 2025 CUSA Women’s Tennis Championship. The Bulldogs, which earned the No. 3 seed, will battle No. 6 WKU on in the quarterfinals on Thursday, April 17. First serve is set for Noon CT at the Liberty Tennis Complex and will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
