COLUMBIA, S.C. – Auburn wrapped up the Carolina Kickoff on a high note, winning nine of 10 matches Saturday to finish off their stay in Columbia.
For the weekend, the Tigers went 9-1 against South Carolina, 8-3 against Wake Forest and 2-1 against Georgia Tech for a 19-5 overall record to kickstart the spring season.
"We are proud of the girls and how united they were all weekend," Auburn head coach Caroline Lilley said. "Those little things, we can't stress them enough. They put the work in over winter break to differentiate themselves and they were able to take confidence from their sound preparation. The process continues as we remain steadfastly committed to bettering ourselves and one another."
The morning began with a sweep of three doubles matches from the Gamecocks. Selin Ovunc and Ariana Arseneault downed Carolina's Hamner and Malkin, 6-3. Georgie Axon and Adeline Flach made it a 3-0 weekend with a 6-3 win over Carolina's Gretkowski and Couch, and Carolyn Ansari and Madeline Meredith picked up their second win of the tournament, defeating Tulenko and Mills 6-1.
In singles, Ovunc fought for nearly three hours to pick up the highest-ranked win of her career as she defeated No. 2-ranked Sarah Hamner, 6-4, 6-7, 7-5. Ariana Arseneault won in straight sets over Allie Gretkowski, 6-0, 7-5, and 115th-ranked Carolyn Ansari did the same against Elise Mills, 6-2, 6-0. Yu Chen picked up a 6-1, 6-1 win over Lindsay Tuleko, and Anastasia Astakhova downed Kendall Couch, 6-3, 6-2.
Georgie Axon went the distance against Carolina's Chloe Narboni to earn a 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 win, and Adeline Flach came up short in a three-setter against Misa Malkin, 4-6, 6-2, 6-2.
The home season begins next weekend with a doubleheader against Furman and UAB Sunday, Jan. 23, at the Yarbrough Tennis Center. The Tigers will take on Furman at 11 a.m., followed by a match against the Blazers at 3 p.m. Admission is free to all Auburn home tennis matches.
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Auburn Women's Tennis Results – Saturday, Jan. 15
Carolina Kickoff – Columbia, S.C.
Singles
#79 Selin Ovunc (AU) def. #2 Sarah Hamner (SC), 6-4, 6-7, 7-5
Ariana Arseneault (AU) def. Allie Gretkowski (SC), 6-0, 7-5
Misa Malkin (SC) def. Adeline Flach (AU), 4-6, 6-2, 6-2
#115 Carolyn Ansari (AU) def. Elise Mills (SC), 6-2, 6-0
Georgie Axon (AU) def. Chloe Narboni (SC), 3-6, 6-3, 6-4
Yu Chen (AU) def. Lindsay Tuleko (SC), 6-1, 6-1
Anastasia Astakhova (AU) def. Kendall Couch (SC), 6-3, 6-2
Doubles
Ovunc/Arseneault (AU) def. Hamner/Malkin (SC), 6-3
Axon/Flach (AU) def. Gretkowski/Couch (SC), 6-3
Ansari/Meredith (AU) def. Tulenko/Mills (SC), 6-1
