AUBURN, Ala. – The Auburn women's tennis team will kick off Southeastern Conference play this weekend with a pair of home matches against top-25 foes at the Yarbrough Tennis Center.
Auburn hosts No. 20 South Carolina at 3 p.m. CT Friday, then takes on No. 22 Florida at noon CT Sunday.
"Last year we played both teams really, really close," Auburn head coach Caroline Lilley said. "They're not going to be surprised, and we're not going to be surprised when it comes down to the wire. It comes down to us believing in the way we've prepared. We played a really good non-conference segment this year. Our preparation never changes. This weekend, the team that can embrace some flexibility, the team that can embrace some adversity is the one that will come out on top."
If matches are played outdoors, fans are welcome to attend, and admission is free. All spectators will be required to wear face coverings and practice appropriate social distancing; fans are encouraged to bring blankets or lawn chairs to ensure socially distanced seating. In the event of inclement weather and competition being moved to the indoor facility, attendance will be strictly limited to players, coaches and officials.
"We'd love to play outside so we can have fans," Lilley said. "That's the one downside to indoor tennis this year, we can't have anybody here. I know our players love a home crowd and love getting feisty and loud."
The Tigers (5-1) look to continue the momentum from a pair of victories over Clemson and North Florida the last two weeks. Auburn, who received votes in this week's ITA team rankings, has yet to drop a team point at home in three matches so far.
"Overall, (North Florida) was the most complete match we've played all year," Lilley said. "I really liked how we set the tone in doubles. And we continued that trend in singles. I still think we can do a better job differentiating between good misses and bad misses. You have to understand that sometimes you're going to miss doing the right things. If you reward yourself for that, you'll play more courageous as the match goes on."
Three Tigers own 5-1 records in dual singles play – graduate students Georgie Axon and Taylor Russo, along with freshman Adeline Flach. Selin Ovunc is 3-2 playing at the No. 1 position and ranked No. 62 in the most recent ITA rankings; Russo is ranked 99th. Russo and Ovunc are the nation's No. 11-ranked doubles team, and own a 4-1 record in dual matches.
South Carolina (3-4) has two common opponents with Auburn; the Gamecocks and Tigers both earned wins over Clemson, and Auburn picked up a win at Furman while Carolina fell at home to the Paladins. Carolina has three ranked singles players – No. 30 Megan Davies, No. 34 Mia Horvit, and No. 93 Emma Shelton – and two doubles teams – 20th-ranked Silvia Chinellato and Shelton, and 29th-ranked Davies and Horvit.
Florida (2-3) has wins over Georgia State and South Florida along with a pair of losses to UCF and one to Florida State. The Gators will face Alabama Friday before traveling to Auburn. Florida, picked to finish third in the SEC, boasts two ranked singles players - No. 32 McCartney Kessler and No. 65 Layne Sleeth – and the No. 26 doubles team of Kessler and Marlee Zein.
Auburn took both teams to the finish last season, dropping a 4-2 decision to the Gamecocks and a 4-3 heartbreaker to the Gators. The Florida match came down to a third-set tiebreaker in the last match on.
Links to live video (if played outdoors) and live scoring are available on the women's tennis schedule page at AuburnTigers.com.
For the latest on Auburn women's tennis, follow @AuburnWTennis on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Women's tennis opens SEC play with South Carolina, Florida
