AUBURN, Ala. – After a much-needed week off from competition, the 17th-ranked Auburn women's tennis team hits the road for the first time this month with matches at No. 22 Arkansas and Missouri this weekend.
The Tigers (10-3, 5-2 SEC) will take on Arkansas at 5 p.m. CT Friday in Fayetteville, then head north to Columbia for a Sunday morning match with Mizzou that begins at 10 a.m. CT.
"SEC road matches, we're always ready for a fight," Auburn head coach Caroline Lilley said. "We're ready for teams to come out and throw some punches, which is what we want. That's the only way we can get better. Both these teams are having really good years. Both coaching staffs have done a really good job with both recruiting and the players they inherited. We have a lot of respect for both programs. We're excited to be on the road, excited to be in hostile environments, because we know it's going to make us better."
Auburn moved up to 17th in the most recent ITA national rankings following a week off from competition and a 1-1 weekend in league play two weeks ago. The Tigers also debuted at 20th in the season's first Tennis Channel/USTA rankings.
"We needed (the break)," Lilley said. "The players needed it, we needed it as a coaching staff just to get a little breather in the middle of our season. It's been a great season so far, but it's been long and it's been challenging, especially with what transpired against Ole Miss and Mississippi State. Physically, we're in a good spot, but emotionally and mentally, we needed some time. Towards the end of the week, we had some really tough practices.
"You never want to lose that competitive edge. At this point in the season, we're incredibly match-tough. Saturday, Raquel (Atawo) and I set up an opportunity for us to compete against each other. It's harder to play your teammates than any other team; your teammates know your game better than anybody."
New individual rankings came out this week for the first time since the preseason as well. Sophomore Selin Ovunc moved up to 57th nationally in singles, and grad student Georgie Axon made her season debut in the rankings at No. 116. Ovunc and grad student Taylor Russo are also ranked 13th nationally in doubles; however, Russo is out for the season after suffering an injury against Mississippi State. Ovunc will team up with sophomore Carolyn Ansari this weekend in doubles.
Arkansas (10-3, 4-3) enters the weekend ranked 22nd nationally but having lost their last three SEC matches. The Razorbacks dropped a pair of 4-0 decisions on the road at South Carolina and Florida their last time out two weeks ago. Arkansas has one ranked singles player in No. 44 Indianna Spink.
Missouri (15-9, 1-6) played twice during the SEC's open week, earning a 7-0 win over Saint Louis and a 6-1 victory at Drake. The Tigers have the No. 55 doubles team in Bronte Murgett and Marta Oliveira, and Murgett is ranked No. 112 in singles.
Links to live scoring for both matches and live video for Friday's match 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.
No. 17 Auburn women's tennis heads to Arkansas, Missouri
