AUBURN, Ala. – The Auburn women's tennis team will make its 13th all-time postseason appearance as the Tigers were selected to the 2021 NCAA Championships Monday night.
Auburn (13-8), ranked 19th in the latest ITA rankings, will face 37th-ranked Oklahoma State (11-11) Friday in Tallahassee, Fla., in the regional hosted by Florida State. The Seminoles will face Alabama State in the other first-round match.
"The NCAA Tournament is a privilege that a team earns through tireless work and commitment," Auburn head coach Caroline Lilley said. "Our team has beat on their craft, pounding the stone for two years to compete in postseason play. We are thrilled to be traveling to Tallahassee as we know it is another opportunity to improve and overcome adversity. The windows will be small, but the size of the window doesn't matter when you have the guts to jump through it."
The Tigers are making their 13th trip to the NCAA Tournament and their first under Lilley, now in her second season on The Plains. The 2020 postseason was canceled due to the global pandemic; Auburn's last NCAA appearance came in 2018, the last of six straight postseason trips. The Tigers are 7-5 all-time in the first round.
Auburn and Oklahoma State will square off for the fourth time; the last meeting was a 4-2 OSU win in the 2019 Blue-Gray Classic in Montgomery.
Updated rankings will come out later this week, but the Tigers headed into selection Monday with two ranked singles players and a pair of ranked doubles teams. Sophomore Selin Ovunc is ranked No. 56, and classmate Carolyn Ansari checks in at No. 73 in singles. Ovunc and Taylor Russo are ranked 16th in doubles, while Georgie Axon and Adeline Flach are 73rd.
Selections for the NCAA singles and doubles championships will be announced Tuesday.
For the latest on Auburn women's tennis, follow @AuburnWTennis on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Selin Ovunc celebrates as the Tigers' name is called Monday night during the NCAA Selection Show.
Auburn women's tennis earns NCAA Tournament bid
