ORLANDO, Fla. – The 25th-ranked Auburn women's tennis team is headed to the ITA National Team Indoor Championships after a 4-0 victory over No. 10 UCF Saturday at the USTA National Campus.
"Another total team effort today," Auburn head coach Caroline Lilley said. "The storyline was different than yesterday as we earned the opportunity to be in the driver's seat. When you are in complete control of a match, leaning on your preparation to stay the course shows immense poise and maturity. We are growing and learning how to be great in the details, establishing routines that will serve us well as progress through our season."
It's the highest ranked win for Auburn (4-0) under Lilley, and it will mark Auburn's first trip to Indoor Nationals since 2018. The 16-team event hosted by the University of Wisconsin runs Feb. 11-14 in Madison, Wis.
Saturday's victory was Auburn's first over a top-10 team since that 2018 trip to Indoor Nationals, where they defeated No. 10 Michigan.
The momentum began with a down-to-the-wire match in doubles. Selin Ovunc and Ariana Arseneault got the first win of the day, topping Marie Mattel and Noel Saidenova 6-4 at the top doubles spot. Georgie Axon and Adeline Flach battled to the end but came up just short to Evgeniya Levashova and Nadja Bay Christians, 7-5.
With the Tigers picking up a win at the No. 1 spot and falling at No. 2, it came down to Madeline Meredith and Carolyn Ansari, locked in a tiebreaker for the doubles point. The Auburn side prevailed, earning a 7-6 (4) win over UCF's Biolay and Zeleva to give Auburn a 1-0 lead.
Flach, who provided the clinching victory over Arizona State, got Auburn's first singles point on the board with a 6-4, 6-3 win over Saidenova at the No. 4 spot. Ansari, ranked 115th nationally, stayed unbeaten in dual matches with a 6-2, 6-4 win over 102nd-ranked Mattel. And Arseneault finished off the shutout with her first ranked win as a Tiger, a 7-5, 6-3 win over No. 64 Zeleva at the No. 2 position.
Auburn dropped first sets on the other three courts but had fought back to lead late or force third sets in all three matches. Ovunc, ranked 79th, had forced a third set in her match with No. 37 Levashova; she dropped the first set 6-3 but won the second 6-2. Axon was ahead 5-3 in the second set, and Yu Chen was leading 4-3 in the second set with the match was halted.
This will be Auburn's third appearance at the Indoor Nationals. The Tigers previously qualified for the event in 2017 and 2018.
Auburn will be back in action with three home matches next weekend. The Tigers host No. 12 Georgia Tech at 3 p.m. CT Friday, then play a doubleheader Sunday against Clemson and Alabama A&M. Admission is free to all Auburn tennis matches at the Yarbrough Tennis Center.
ITA Kickoff – Championship
Jan. 29, 2022 – Orlando, Fla.
#25 Auburn 4, #10 UCF 0
Singles
1. #37 Evgeniya Levashova (UCF) vs. #79 Selin Ovunc (AU), 6-3, 2-6 unfinished
2. Ariana Arseneault (AU) def. #64 Valeriya Zeleva (UCF), 7-5, 6-3
3. #115 Carolyn Ansari (AU) def. #102 Marie Mattel (UCF), 6-2, 6-4
4. Adeline Flach (AU) def. Noel Saidenova (UCF), 6-4, 6-3
5. Sophia Biolay (UCF) vs. Georgie Axon (AU), 6-3, 3-5 unfinished
6. Nandini Sharma (UCF) vs. Yu Chen (AU), 6-3, 3-4 unfinished
Order of finish: 4, 3, 2
Doubles
1. Arseneault/Ovunc (AU) def. Mattel/Saidenova (UCF), 6-4
2. Levashova/Bay Christians (UCF) def. Axon/Flach (AU), 7-5
3. Meredith/Ansari (AU) def. Biolay/Zeleva (UCF), 7-6 (4)
Order of finish: 1, 2, 3
