AUBURN, Ala. – Auburn is set to host its final home match of the season on Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. CT at the Yarbrough Tennis Center in Auburn, Alabama. The team will honor its lone senior, Will Nolan, with a presentation at the conclusion of the match.
“The guys have done a great job of holding down the home court advantage this season, only losing one match at home,” said Auburn head coach Bobby Reynolds. “It’s nice late in the season to only have one match this weekend when guys are playing on tired legs and getting beat up. If you can come in and be ready for just one match, that is all we need this weekend.”
The Tigers will enter the match as winners of five of their last six matches. Auburn earned three SEC wins at home over No. 18 Oklahoma, Ole Miss and Kentucky before dropping a tight match to Tennessee on Saturday. Auburn, ranked No. 31 nationally by the ITA, currently holds a 15-7 overall record and a 5-5 record in conference matches.
Auburn junior Billy Blaydes dominated on the singles court last weekend, defeating Kentucky’s Jaden Weekes, Tennessee’s Jose Garcia and Alabama A&M’s Yin Chih Lan in straight sets. Blaydes defeated No. 74 Weekes 6-1, 6-2 in a match that lasted just over one hour on Thursday, then again posted the first singles win for the Tigers against Tennessee on Saturday by a 6-2, 6-1 score over Garcia.
Arkansas came in ranked No. 38 in the ITA National Team rankings that were released on Tuesday. The Razorbacks will enter Saturday’s match with a 14-10 overall record and a 3-7 SEC record with wins over Ole Miss, No. 12 Texas A&M and No. 21 Alabama. Since defeating Alabama on Mar. 8, the team has dropped each of its last five matches.
Auburn leads the all-time series over Arkansas 27-17 but the Razorbacks won the most recent matchup by a 4-3 score in Fayetteville last season.
“Going to be emotional saying goodbye to Will Nolan, who has been a part of our team for four seasons,” continued Reynolds. “He has gone through a lot with injuries and into the role he’s in now from not playing so much in the lineup last season. He’s become a leader on the court both in singles and in doubles and he is a captain of our team. I’ve enjoyed seeing how he has matured both on and off the court. As always, it’ll be a happy and a sad time for us.”
Admission to the match at the Yarbrough Tennis Center will be free and the first fans in attendance will receive food truck vouchers to the Philly Connection food truck that will be on-site at the facility. Live video and live scoring of the match will also be available online at AuburnTigers.com and the Auburn Tigers app.