AUBURN, Ala. – Auburn will conclude its brief hiatus from competition on Sunday with a road doubleheader against FGCU at the FGCU Tennis Complex in Fort Myers, Florida. The Tigers and the Eagles are scheduled to play at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m.
“We’re looking to see how many matches we can play in a short period of time early in the season that will make us better before the SEC schedule,” said Auburn head coach Bobby Reynolds. “We had a little bit of time to breathe and relax before gearing up for the FGCU matches. These will give us an opportunity to play outside where it is over 80 degrees and that was ultimately the reason for scheduling these matches. Getting some outdoor practice leading up to them and playing two matches in the heat.”
Auburn will enter the match with a 5-2 record and coming off three consecutive wins over MTSU, Tulsa and Alabama State. Freshman Alex Frusina picked up SEC Freshman of the Week honors on Feb. 5 after going undefeated in both singles and doubles over three matches. Frusina and doubles partner Joey Phillips helped Auburn claim the doubles point in all three matches and the freshman clinched the Tigers dramatic 4-3 win against MTSU before claiming a straight set singles win against Tulsa.
Will Nolan and Billy Blaydes have been impressive in doubles recently, as the Tigers’ top pair have won six consecutive matches to begin the spring. Nolan and Blaydes moved up from No. 15 to No. 7 in the latest ITA doubles rankings that were released on Wednesday.
FGCU will enter Sunday with a 3-5 overall record this season with two consecutive wins over Air Force and Navy.
Live scoring of both matches will be available online at ioncourt.com.