The Auburn men's tennis team gets the 2022 spring season started Saturday hosting a doubleheader with North Alabama at the Yarbrough Tennis Center in Auburn. Match times are 1:30 and 4:30 p.m. and will be played indoors.
"You can see that our guys are ready to go; since they've been back on campus, they've been ready," Auburn head coach Bobby Reynolds said. "I think our guys have a little bit of a chip on their shoulder about just missing postseason play last year.
"But also, these guys believe they're a top 25 team. Our aspirations and goals are a lot higher than just making the tournament and they're eager to show that. They're ready to go.
"Between singles and doubles, we are very deep, and it's nice to be able to say that. To be able to interchange players for different lineups, and to have three guys ranked in the top 60 for the first time in over a decade as well as ranked and established doubles teams at one and two is a great position for us to start the season."
In the latest ITA national rankings, three Tigers are ranked in singles: Tyler Stice (47), Tad Maclean (56) and Jan Galka (59). Stice was an NCAA singles qualifier last season, and Maclean was runner-up at last fall's ITA Southern Regionals, advancing to the national fall championships. In doubles, NCAA doubles runners-up Maclean and Finn Murgett return and Stice and Galka are ranked No. 28.
"Saturday is about getting matches in and competitive time on the court. Our first day of practice was Wednesday and then we're right into matches. Knocking off some of the rust and giving our guys a lot of opportunities to compete in different matchups is our goal for this first weekend."
The Tigers were picked to finish 11th in the recent SEC preseason coaches' poll; Florida was predicted to be the conference champion.
All Auburn home tennis action is at the Yarbrough Tennis Center (1717 Richland Road, Auburn) and admission is free. Fans will receive free hot chocolate at Saturday's matches. Auburn has a mask policy currently in effect campus-wide.