AUBURN, Ala. – The No. 36 Auburn women's tennis team came up just short against No. 18 Kentucky Sunday afternoon, dropping a 4-1 decision at the Yarbrough Tennis Center.
Auburn fell to 13-6 on the season (0-4 SEC); Kentucky improves to 13-2 (3-1 SEC).
Kentucky took the doubles point to claim an early 1-0 lead. Alannah Griffin and Yu Chen played a tight match on court two but fell 6-4 as Kentucky also won on court one. Taylor Russo and Lindsay Song were tied 5-5 with Kentucky's No. 3 team when play was halted.
In singles, Auburn responded first to tie the match back at 1-1, as Yu Chen won her match 6-4, 6-1, on court five. Kentucky answered by taking the point on courts one and three to take a 3-1 lead. Griffin and Madeline Meredith both put pressure on the Wildcats as Meredith forced a third set at the No. 2 spot, while Griffin won her first set on court four. But Kentucky clinched the match with a win at the No. 6 singles spot.
The Tigers will hit the road for their next three matches, beginning with a Mississippi swing next weekend. Auburn will face Mississippi State at 3 p.m. Friday in Starkville before traveling to Oxford to take on Ole Miss at 1 p.m. Sunday.
For the latest on Auburn women's tennis, follow @AuburnWTennis on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
#18 Kentucky 4, #36 Auburn 1
Singles
1. #48 Justina Mikulskyte (UK) def. Jaeda Daniel (AU), 6-2, 6-4
2. Madeline Meredith (AU) vs. Akvile Parazinskaite (UK), 3-6, 6-4, 1-3 unfinished
3. Lesedi Jacobs (UK) def. Taylor Russo (AU), 7-5, 6-2
4. Alannah Griffin (AU) vs. Tiphanie Fiquet (UK), 6-4, 5-6 unfinished
5. Yu Chen (AU) def. Diana Tkachenko (UK), 6-4, 6-1
6. Anastasia Tkachenko (UK) def. Caroline Turner (AU), 6-4, 6-4
Order of finish: 5, 3, 1, 6
Doubles
1. #55 Mikulskyte/Parazinskaite (UK) def. #64 Daniel/Meredith (AU), 6-2
2. #76 Fiquet/Jacobs (UK) def. Griffin/Chen (AU), 6-4
3. Russo/Song (AU) vs. Tkachenko/Merrill (UK), 5-5 unfinished
Order of finish: 1, 2