AUBURN, Ala. – Auburn will continue its non-conference schedule with three matches over the weekend. The Tigers will travel to Murfreesboro, Tennessee, to face Middle Tennessee State on Friday before hosting Tulsa and Alabama State at home on Sunday.
“Middle Tennessee is going to be tough on the road,” said Auburn head coach Bobby Reynolds. “They do a great job at home with their environment and we expect there to be a rowdy crowd on a Friday night, but our guys enjoy that. It’s tough to play a home and away weekend but it’ll be important to be able to pop back. We’ll do it a lot during conference play, so we’ll be getting used to that.”
Auburn will enter the matchup after dropping a couple matches during ITA Kickoff Weekend to No. 25 Michigan and Illinois. Freshman Alex Frusina was a bright spot for the team, as he picked up two straight set wins at the No. 3 position in singles and posted a doubles win during both matches in Knoxville, Tennessee. With the wins, Frusina now holds a 9-3 overall singles record this season and remains perfect in dual matches at 4-0.
Middle Tennessee has become a familiar foe for the Tigers in recent years, as they have faced each other each of the last seasons. The two faced off twice last season, with Auburn winning 4-0 at home and 4-2 at the Blue-Gray National Tennis Classic in Montgomery, Alabama. The Tigers lead the all-time series 10-2.
The Blue Raiders are 3-2 this season highlighted by a 4-2 win over Miami during ITA Kickoff Weekend. Karim Al-Amin is the regular at the top of the Middle Tennessee singles lineup and holds an ITA singles ranking of No. 98. Al-Amin is also ranked in doubles at No. 45 alongside partner Ondrej Horak.
“Tulsa has had a great season so far with wins over Arkansas and some teams early on, so they’ll be ready to come in and give us their best shot,” Reynolds said about the Golden Hurricane. “Across the board, we have to be ready this weekend and this is an important weekend for us.”
Tulsa will face Alabama on Friday before traveling south to play the Tigers on Sunday. Tulsa enters the weekend with a 3-2 record that includes victories over Arkansas and Oregon. Alex Okonkwo earned the singles No. 1 spot for the Golden Hurricane after a strong fall season. Okonkwo currently holds a 12-6 overall singles record.
Alabama State holds a 2-5 record this season but is coming off a victory after defeating Auburn University- Montgomery 6-1 on Wednesday.
Friday’s match in Murfreesboro will begin at 5 p.m. CT. Live video of the match will be available online at goblueraiders.com while live scoring will be provided by ioncourt.com. Sunday’s doubleheader at the Yarbrough Tennis Center will begin with Tulsa at noon CT followed by Alabama State at 5 p.m. CT. Live video and scoring for both matches will be available online at auburntigers.com.
Admission to all home matches at the Yarbrough Tennis Center is free and fans will be treated to complimentary Sunday brunch courtesy of Staks on a first come, first served basis this Sunday. Weather permitting, both matches will be played on the outdoor courts at the Yarbrough Tennis Center.