AUBURN, Ala. – The Auburn women's tennis team will open its home season Sunday with a doubleheader at the Yarbrough Tennis Center.
Auburn, playing its first match of the dual season, will take on Furman (3-0) at 11 a.m. and UAB (0-1) at 3 p.m. Admission is free to all home Auburn tennis matches.
"Both really tough matches," Auburn head coach Caroline Lilley said. "I know the girls are excited to kick off their home slate. Both teams should be tough, and we're definitely ready for the challenge.
"Furman had a great year last year, they took out a few SEC teams and were top-25 in the country for most of the year. Adam (Hendereen) has done a great job with that program. One of the best mid-majors in the country, so they will be really tough. Mark (Tjia) at UAB has really turned things around as well. They play some really good doubles, and they took out a few of our teams this fall in doubles."
The Tigers are coming off a successful tournament to open the spring last weekend in Columbia, S.C., that saw them win 19 matches against opponents from South Carolina, Wake Forest and Georgia Tech. Included in those wins were a victory by junior Selin Ovunc over the nation's No. 2-ranked singles player and a doubles win by Ovunc and Ariana Arseneault over the No. 2-ranked doubles team in the country.
"They did a great job," Lilley said. "We faced some still competition, three perennial teams that have made deep runs in the NCAA Tournament. To go out and compete the way we did, every single person pulling their weight, it was really encouraging and exciting.
"We're trying to find doubles teams that we like at all three spots, then playing in order of strength where people fit into our lineup. It's a good problem to have when you have really good depth. We're really deep this year, one through eight, so we have the flexibility of being fluid with our lineup."
Furman is 3-0 after a pair of home wins last weekend and a 5-2 neutral-site victory over UAB Saturday at Yarbrough. Auburn leads the all-time series with Furman 11-0 and opened the 2021 season with a 4-3 win over the Paladins in Greenville.
UAB's season opener was Saturday against Furman. Auburn is 29-2 all-time against the Blazers; the teams last met in 2020 in Auburn, a 4-0 Tigers victory.
Live stats for both matches will be available at AuburnStats.com. If the match is played indoors, fans planning to attend are reminded of Auburn University's current policy requiring face coverings to be worn in all indoor facilities.
For the latest on Auburn women's tennis, follow @AuburnWTennis on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Auburn women's tennis opens home season with Furman, UAB
