GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The Auburn women's tennis team pushed 23rd-ranked Florida to the brink but came up short in a 4-2 loss Sunday afternoon at the Ring Tennis Center.
The Tigers got a pair of singles wins from senior Carolina Turner and junior Taylor Russo, and three other matches went the full three sets, but Florida managed to win the crucial points to secure the win.
After Florida took an early 1-0 lead with doubles wins on courts one and three, Auburn pulled back even as Turner made quick work of her opponent with a 6-1, 6-0 win at the No. 6 singles spot. The Tigers then moved ahead 2-1 when Russo finished off a 6-4, 6-1 win on court three.
Madeline Meredith and Alannah Griffin fought back from dropping their respective first sets to force their matches to a decisive third set, and Jaeda Daniel went the distance when her opponent won the second set. The Gators got their third point as Meredith fell 3-6, 6-4, 0-6 on court two, and Florida clinched the match with 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 win at the top singles spot.
The Tigers will wrap up the 2019 regular season next weekend with a pair of home matches at the Yarbrough Tennis Center. Friday's 2 p.m. CT match vs. Missouri will be Senior Day; Turner and Griffin will be honored prior to the match. The regular-season finale will be next Sunday at noon CT vs. Arkansas.
For the latest on Auburn women's tennis, follow @AuburnWTennis on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
#23 Florida 4, #49 Auburn 2
Singles
1. #8 Ida Jarlskog (UF) def. #103 Jaeda Daniel (AU), 3-6, 6-2, 6-2
2. #78 Victoria Emma (UF) def. Madeline Meredith (AU), 6-3, 4-6, 6-0
3. Taylor Russo (AU) def. Marlee Zein (UF), 6-4, 6-1
4. Alannah Griffin (AU) vs. Tsveta Dimitrova (UF), 3-6, 6-4, 4-5 unfinished
5. Sydney Berlin (UF) def. Yu Chen (AU), 7-5, 7-6 (4)
6. Caroline Turner (AU) def. Katie Kubicz (UF), 6-1, 6-0
Order of finish: 6, 3, 2, 5, 1
Doubles
1. #65 Emma/Kessler (UF) def. Meredith/Russo (AU), 6-4
2. Jarlskog/Dimitrova (UF) vs. Daniel/Chen (AU), 5-3 unfinished
3. Zein/Berlin (UF) def. Griffin/Turner (AU), 6-2
Order of finish: 2, 3