COLUMBIA, Mo. – The 17th-ranked Auburn women's tennis team finished off an unbeaten road weekend Sunday afternoon with a 4-1 victory over Missouri, earning their seventh SEC win of the season on a chilly day at the Mizzou Tennis Complex.
Auburn (12-3, 7-2 SEC) claimed the doubles point and got strong play down the line in singles to pick up their third consecutive road win.
"When competitors play in conditions like today, cold and windy, they find a way to use it to their advantage," Auburn head coach Caroline Lilley said. "Adverse elements are essential to our continued development as a team. Our unshakeable and relentless poise allowed us to trust in our preparation."
It was an early 1-0 lead for Auburn as they got wins on courts two and three to pick up the doubles point. After Georgie Axon and Adeline Flach dropped their match 6-3 at the top spot, the team of Yu Chen and Anastasia Astakhova downed Mizzou's Ellie Wright and Bronte Murgett 6-4 to even things up in doubles. But Auburn's Carolyn Ansari and Selin Ovunc clinched the point with a 6-4 win at the No. 2 spot, defeating Mizzou's Gabrielle Goldin and Valentina Vazquez.
Missouri tied things up with a win on court six as Astakhova fell to Oliviera, 7-5, 6-1. But Auburn moved back ahead on court four as #116 Axon defeated Vazquez 6-3, 6-1. It would be 3-1 after Ansari defeated Serena Nash 6-3, 6-1 at the No. 3 spot. Flach provided the clinching point for the second straight match with a 7-5, 6-4 win over Elys Ventura at the No. 5 spot.
Ovunc, ranked 57th nationally, was a game away on court one, leading 6-4, 5-4 when play was halted. Yu Chen had fought back to force a third set on court two, but the match ended before the third set could begin.
Auburn plays its final two home matches of the regular season next weekend, hosting Texas A&M at 3 p.m. Thursday and LSU at noon Saturday.
For the latest on Auburn women's tennis, follow @AuburnWTennis on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
#17 Auburn 4, Missouri 1
Singles
1. #57 Selin Ovunc (AU) vs. Ellie Wright (MU), 6-4, 5-4 unfinished
2. Yu Chen (AU) vs. #122 Bronte Murgett (MU), 3-6, 7-5, 0-0 unfinished
3. Carolyn Ansari (AU) def. Serena Nash (MU), 6-3, 6-1
4. #116 Georgie Axon (AU) def. Valentina Vazquez (MU), 6-3, 6-1
5. Adeline Flach (AU) def. Elyz Ventura (MU), 7-5, 6-4
6. Marta Oliviera (MU) def. Anastasia Astakhova (MU), 7-5, 6-1
Order of finish: 6, 4, 3, 5
Doubles
1. Oliviera/Nash (MU) def. Axon/Flach (AU), 6-3
2. Ansari/Ovunc (AU) def. Goldin/Vazquez (MU), 6-4
3. Chen/Astakhova (AU) def. Wright/Murgett (MU), 6-4
Order of finish: 1, 3, 2
