AUBURN, Ala. – The Auburn men's tennis team returns to the road for SEC matches at No. 15 Tennessee and No. 28 Georgia this weekend.
Auburn will face the Volunteers Friday at 5 p.m. CT at the Goodfriend Tennis Center in Knoxville. On Sunday, the Tigers visit Georgia for a noon CT match at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex in Athens.
Auburn is 12-13 for the spring season. Tennessee is 12-6 overall and 3-4 in SEC action, while Georgia is 7-8 overall and 3-4 in SEC play.
"Tennessee is tough one to six, but we've had very competitive matches with them," Auburn head coach Bobby Reynolds said. "They have a rowdy crowd that comes out to the night matches, so we'll have to be ready for off-court distraction as well as what's happening on the court.
"Georgia will be a tough one on Sunday; from one to six, I would say they have the second best team in the SEC. They've battled injuries throughout the season, but top to bottom, they are tough. There aren't a lot of teams in the SEC with many holes. That's what makes the conference so great, but that's what makes the opportunities for our guys to play in and against so unbelievable."
In the latest Oracle/ITA national collegiate rankings, Tennessee's Timo Stodder ranks No. 66 and Adam Walton ranks No. 87 in singles; Stodder and Preston Touliatos are ranked No. 31 in doubles. Georgia has three players nationally ranked in singles: Jan Zielinski (13), Emil Reinberg (21) and Philip Henning (78). The doubles team of Zielinski and Robert Loeb is ranked No. 47 nationally.
In the team rankings, Tennessee is No. 15 in the Oracle/ITA standings and No. 18 in the Tennis Channel/USTA College Tennis Top 25. Georgia is No. 28 in the Oracle/ITA standings and No. 22 in the Tennis Channel/USTA College Tennis Top 25.
The Tigers finish their home season next weekend hosting No. 18 South Carolina on Friday, April 5, and No. 2 Florida on Sunday, April 7. All Auburn home tennis action is at the Yarbrough Tennis Center (771 Yarbrough Farms Blvd., Auburn) and admission is free.