April 7, 2013
ST. LOUIS - Emily Flickinger clinched Auburn's sixth SEC win of the season with a 6-3, 6-3 singles win over Missouri's Rachel Stuhlmann on Sunday at the Dwight Davis Tennis Center in St. Louis.
"It was good that we were able to bounce back and get a win," Auburn head coach Lauren Longbotham Meisner said. "We had really good energy and played very focused. This is a quality win for our team on the road."
Auburn (16-6, 6-5) took a 1-0 lead thanks to a pair of dominant doubles victories. After falling in the first two games, the Tigers' duo of Jen Pfeifler and Paulina Schippers rattled off wins in eight-straight games to take an 8-2 victory over Elisha Gabb and Madison Rhyner.
Jackie Kasler and Flickinger then clinched the doubles point with an 8-4 defeat of Maria Christensen and Rachel Stuhlmann. ITA No. 26 tandem of Pleun Burgmans and Plamena Kurteva were leading 7-4 on court one when doubles play was decided.
ITA No. 36 Burgmans wasted no time giving Auburn a 2-0 lead with a quick dismantling of No. 105 Cierra Gaytan-Leach, 6-1, 6-3, at the top line. The victory improved Burgmans to 13-3 on the spring in singles play, including 8-2 in SEC play.
Kasler made it 3-0 in favor of Auburn by defeating Alex Clark of Missouri, 6-1, 6-4. Missouri earned its lone point with a 6-4, 6-4 win by Rhyner at No. 6 before Flickinger defeated Stuhlman to ice the victory.
Michala Kucharova was ahead 6-0, 5-4 over Christensen and Pfeifler had split sets with Gabb when play was concluded. The loss dropped Missouri to 9-10, 2-9 on the season.
Auburn is in action next on Friday when it opens the final weekend of regular season play with Georgia at 4 p.m. CT. For the latest on Auburn women's tennis, follow @AUWomensTennis on Twitter.
#23 Auburn University 4, #49 Missouri 1
Apr 07, 2013 at St. Louis, Mo. (Dwight Davis Tennis Center)
Singles competition
1. #36 Pleun Burgmans (AU) def. #105 Cierra Gaytan-Leach (MU) 6-1, 6-3
2. Emily Flickinger (AU) def. Rachel Stuhlmann (MU) 6-3, 6-3
3. Maria Christensen (MU) vs. Michala Kucharova (AU) 0-6, 4-5, unfinished
4. Elisha Gabb (MU) vs. Jen Pfeifler (AU) 5-7, 5-0, unfinished
5. Jackie Kasler (AU) def. Alex Clark (MU) 6-1, 6-4
6. Madison Rhyner (MU) def. Ashley Kitchen (AU) 6-4, 6-4
Doubles competition
1. Cierra Gaytan-Leach/Alex Clark (MU) vs. #26 Pleun Burgmans/Plamena Kurteva (AU) 4-7, unfinished
2. Jackie Kasler/Emily Flickinger (AU) def. Maria Christensen/Rachel Stuhlmann (MU) 8-4
3. Jen Pfeifler/Paulina Schippers (AU) def. Elisha Gabb/Madison Rhyner (MU) 8-2
Match Notes
Auburn University 16-6, 6-5 SEC; National ranking #23
Missouri 9-10, 2-9 SEC; National ranking #49
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2); Singles (1,5,6,2)