AUBURN, Ala. – Auburn’s women’s tennis team will kick off the Southeastern Conference games this weekend with two home games against the top 25 opponents at the Yarbrough Tennis Center.
Auburn receives No. 20 from South Carolina at 3 pm CT on Friday, then faces No. 22 Florida at noon CT on Sunday.
“Last year, we played against the two teams very, very close”, Auburn coach Caroline Lilley said. “They will not be surprised, and we will not be surprised when it comes to an end. It all comes down to believing in the way we prepare. We played a really good segment out of conference this year. Our preparation never changes. This weekend -week, the team that can embrace some flexibility, the team that can embrace some adversity is the one that will come out on top ”.
If matches are played outdoors, fans are welcome and admission is free. All spectators will be required to wear facial covers and practice appropriate social distance; fans are encouraged to bring blankets or lawn chairs to ensure a socially spaced seat. In case of bad weather and the competition is transferred to the indoor facilities, participation will be strictly limited to players, coaches and officials.
“We would love to play outside to have fans,” said Lilley. “This is the only downside of indoor tennis this year, we cannot have anyone here. I know that our players love a home crowd and love being aggressive and loud.”
The Tigers (5-1) seek to maintain the momentum of two victories over Clemson and North Florida in the past two weeks. Auburn, who received votes in this week’s ITA team ranking, has yet to lose a point at home in three games so far.
“Overall, (North Florida) was the most complete game we played throughout the year,” said Lilley. “I really liked how we set the tone in doubles. And we continue that trend in singles. I still think we can do a better job of differentiating between good and bad. You have to understand that sometimes you will miss the right things. If if you reward yourself for that, you will play with more courage during the match. “
Three Tigers hold 5-1 records in double individual games – graduate students Georgie Axon and Taylor Russo, along with the freshman Adeline Flach. Selin Ovunc is 3-2 playing in position number 1 and ranked 62 in the most recent ITA classification; Russo is ranked 99th. Russo and Ovunc are the 11th doubles team in the country, with a 4-1 record in doubles matches.
South Carolina (3-4) has two opponents in common with Auburn; the Gamecocks and Tigers won victories over Clemson, and Auburn won a victory at Furman, while Carolina fell at home for the Paladins. Carolina has three individual players ranked – No. 30 Megan Davies, No. 34 Mia Horvit, and No. 93 Emma Shelton – and two doubles – Silvia Chinellato and Shelton in 20th place, and Davies and Horvit 29th.
Florida (2-3) beat the state of Georgia and southern Florida, along with two defeats to UCF and one to the state of Florida. The Gators will face Alabama on Friday before traveling to Auburn. Florida, chosen to finish third in the SEC, has two ranked individual players – No. 32 McCartney Kessler and No. 65 Layne Sleeth – and Team No. 26 doubles from Kessler and Marlee Zein.
Auburn took both teams to the finish last season, losing a 4-2 decision to the Gamecocks and a 4-3 heartbreaker to the Gators. The Florida game ended in the third tiebreaker in the last match onwards.
Links to live video (if played outdoors) and live scores are available on the women’s tennis schedule page at AuburnTigers.com.
For the latest news on Auburn women’s sneakers, follow @AuburnWTennis on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.