AUBURN, Ala. – The Auburn women's tennis team will kick off the 2022 spring season this weekend as they compete in the Carolina Kickoff, which runs Friday-Sunday in Columbia, S.C.
The Tigers will join South Carolina, Wake Forest and Georgia Tech in the round-robin event that will feature singles and doubles play against all three opponents.
"Whenever you open your spring segment, you're looking to be pushed early," Auburn head coach Caroline Lilley said. "You want those challenges. Whether you win or lose those challenges at the beginning, you know that come April and May when you're playing for championships, you're much better prepared.
"We're excited, we know we're going to be pushed. They have great players on all three of those teams, and those coaches have developed some of the most successful programs in the country. To go compete with them and gauge where we are, but more importantly, realize it's another growth opportunity, is going to be good for our kids."
Play begins Friday with one round of singles and one round of doubles as the Tigers will face opponents from Wake Forest; matches will begin not before 12:30 p.m. CT. Saturday, Auburn will play singles against opponents from South Carolina and doubles against both the Gamecocks and Georgia Tech. Sunday will feature singles competition against Georgia Tech. All matches are individual competition and no team score will be recorded.
Auburn, ranked 25th in the preseason ITA rankings, was picked to finish seventh in the SEC in a coaches' preseason poll released this week. Georgia Tech is ranked 12th in the preseason ITA rankings, and South Carolina received votes.
"It's good to get recognized early," Lilley said of the Tigers' preseason rankings. "Last year we weren't recognized this early. I think it's good to have a target on your back. You realize what it feels like to be the hunted a little bit earlier. But it's also something the girls have worked hard for, to be recognized as one of the elite teams in the country early on."
Live scoring for the indoor event will be available at GamecocksOnline.com; a link will be available on the women's tennis schedule page at AuburnTigers.com.
Women's tennis begins spring season in Columbia
