AUBURN, Ala. – Auburn women's tennis closed out the non-conference portion of its season Sunday afternoon as the 13th-ranked Tigers defeated Tulane 5-2 at the Yarbrough Tennis Center.
"Tulane played hungry and with a lot of grit today," Auburn head coach Caroline Lilley said. "Credit to them as they sustained a competitive fire we had a hard time matching. We did not have everyone all in today, and as their coach, it is my job to make sur ewe are aware of where we can, and will, improve.
"Setting a culture built on a standard of excellence takes consistency, accountability and reinforcement. All three are controllable areas, and all three will be the focal point of our coming weeks. We will put in the hard work to be a different team come the first weekend in March."
Auburn had to fight its way back to claim the doubles point. Carolyn Ansari and Madeline Meredith got the first win with a 6-2 victory on court three, but Selin Ovunc and Ariana Arseneault dropped a 6-4 match at the top spot. On court two, Georgie Axon and Adeline Flach found themselves down 0-4 but clawed their way back for a 7-5 win to clinch the doubles point and a 1-0 Auburn lead.
Yu Chen got the Tigers on the board in singles with a 6-1, 6-3 win over Charlotte Russell at the fifth spot. Tulane picked up a point at the third position as Flach fell to Adelaide Lavery, 6-2, 6-4. But the Tigers' two grad students secured the victory as Meredith won 6-2, 6-3, over Jiayun Zhu at the sixth spot, and Axon earned a 6-4, 6-1 win on court four over Kristen Borland.
Ariana Arseneault gave Auburn its fifth point with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Lahari Yelamanchili at the top spot. The final match came down to a third-set match tiebreak with Ansari coming up just short to Mackenzie Clark, 1-6, 7-6 (5), 1-0 (10).
In an additional match that did not count toward the team results, Auburn's Anastasia Astakhova won a three-set battle with Tulane's Brooke Theis, 6-2, 6-7 (3), 1-0 (4).
The Tigers have next weekend off from competition. SEC play begins the following weekend as Vanderbilt and Kentucky visit the Yarbrough Tennis Center March 4 & 6. Admission is free to all Auburn tennis matches.
For the latest on Auburn women's tennis, follow @AuburnWTennis on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, and visit AuburnTigers.com.
#13 Auburn 5, Tulane 2
Singles
1. #116 Ariana Arseneault (AU) def. Lahari Yelamanchili (TU), 6-4, 6-4
2. Mackenzie Clark (TU) def. #125 Carolyn Ansari (AU), 1-6, 7-6 (5), 1-0 (10)
3. Adelaide Lavery (TU) def. Adeline Flach (AU), 6-2, 6-4
4. Georgie Axon (AU) def. Kristen Borland (TU), 6-4, 6-1
5. Yu Chen (AU) def. Charlotte Russell (TU), 6-1, 6-3
6. Madeline Meredith (AU) def. Jiayun Zhu (TU), 6-2, 6-3
*7. Anastasia Astakhova (AU) def. Brooke Theis (TU), 6-2, 6-7, 1-0 (4)
Order of finish: 5, 3, 6, 4, 1, 2
Doubles
1. Russell/Yelamanchili (TU) def. #48 Ovunc/Arseneault (AU), 6-4
2. Axon/Flach (AU) def. Clark/Borlan (TU), 7-5
3. Ansari/Meredith (AU) def. Theis/Lavery (TU), 6-2
Order of finish: 3, 1, 2
