STARKVILLE, Miss. – The No. 7-ranked Auburn women's tennis team remained unbeaten in SEC play with a 5-2 road win Friday afternoon at Mississippi State.
The Tigers (13-2, 4-0 SEC) fought through tough conditions to claim the doubles point and four singles victories while coming up just short on the two remaining courts.
"Difficult conditions here in Starkville today," Auburn head coach Caroline Lilley said. "The windy weather meant the tennis wasn't going to be pretty, but with options you can always find the right piece to the puzzle. One thing we lacked today was competing with joy. Our season is long, it is a grind, and we need to get back to the place of enjoying the process. The process is too essential to all growth not to find joy in the ordinary."
Auburn claimed the doubles point with a near-sweep on all three courts. Selin Ovunc and Ariana Arseneault, ranked No. 21 nationally, got the first win with a 6-1 victory over Chloe Cirotte and Tamara Racine at the top spot. The doubles point was clinched with a win from Carolyn Ansari and Madeline Meredith at the No. 3 doubles spot, 6-3, over Alexandra Mikhailuk and Alessia Tagliente. Georgie Axon and Adeline Flach were one point away from a win of their own at 5-4 and serving at deuce when their match was halted.
In singles, No. 54 Arseneault got the second point for Auburn when Racine retired in the second set with Arseneault leading 6-4, 1-0. Axon made it 3-0 on court five with a 6-1, 6-4 win over Tagliente. And Yu Chen clinched the win for the Tigers on court six, winning 6-1, 6-4 over Marta Falceto.
MSU got on the board as Mikhailuk defeated Flach on court four, 6-3, 7-5. The Bulldogs would add another point in a third-set match tiebreak as 116th-ranked Cirotte defeated 114th-ranked Ansari 3-6, 6-1, 1-0 (11-9).
The final point would go to Auburn as 57th-ranked Ovunc outlasted No. 94 Antonaki at the top singles spot, 7-5, 2-6, 7-5, to finish out the day.
Auburn concludes the SEC road weekend with a Sunday match at Ole Miss. First serve is set for 1 p.m. CT.
For the latest on Auburn women's tennis, follow @AuburnWTennis on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
#7 Auburn 5, #64 Mississippi State 2
Singles
1. #57 Selin Ovunc (AU) def. #94 Emma Antonaki (MSU), 7-5, 2-6, 7-5
2. #54 Ariana Arseneault (AU) def. #116 Tamara Racine (MSU), 6-3, 1-0 ret.
3. Chloe Cirotte (MSU) def. #114 Carolyn Ansari (AU), 3-6, 6-2, 1-0 (11-9)
4. Alexandra Mikhailuk (MSU) def. Adeline Flach (AU), 6-3, 7-5
5. Georgie Axon (AU) def. Alessia Tagliente (MSU), 6-1, 6-4
6. Yu Chen (AU) def. Marta Falceto (MSU), 6-1, 6-4
Order of finish: 2, 5, 6, 4, 3, 1
Doubles
1. #21 Arseneault/Ovunc (AU) def. Cirotte/Racine (MSU), 6-1
2. Axon/Flach (AU) vs. Antonaki/Falceto (MSU), 5-4 unfinished
3. Ansari/Meredith (AU) def. Mikhailuk/Tagliente (MSU), 6-3
Order of finish: 3, 1
