AUBURN, Ala. – The 2022 SEC tennis season hits the home stretch as the 13th-ranked Auburn women will hit the road for the final time in the regular season with matches at South Carolina and Florida this weekend.
Auburn (17-3, 8-1 SEC) will take on No. 34 South Carolina at 4 p.m. CT Friday in Columbia, S.C. The Tigers will travel from there to Gainesville, Fla., for a Sunday match with No. 15 Florida, set for an 11 a.m. CT start.
"We've been pushed all year," Auburn head coach Caroline Lilley said. "I know they'll be prepared, I know they'll be excited, and I know they'll rise to whatever challenge comes our way. And we're not going to surprise anyone anymore. We've shown that we're one of the best teams in the conference, and we expect everyone's best."
The Tigers split a pair of matches last weekend on the road, falling for the first time in SEC play at then-No. 7 Texas A&M before bouncing back with a 6-1 win Sunday at LSU.
"That's a tough road swing," Lilley said. "I know we were incredibly disappointed in how we performed against A&M. They played some great tennis and deserve a lot of credit. But we really felt like we let the doubles point slip away, and that took the wind out of our sails. To respond the way they did at LSU, it was really good to see. It showed a lot of maturity and resilience, and that they can deal with some disappointment."
South Carolina (11-8, 6-4) has won four of its last five in SEC play; the Gamecocks split a pair of matches last week, defeating Kentucky but falling to Vanderbilt. Carolina is led by the nation's No. 2-ranked singles player in Sarah Hamner.
Florida (16-4, 8-2) enters the weekend on an eight-match win streak. The Gators are led by 15th-ranked McCartney Kessler in singles and the 7th-ranked doubles team of Carly Briggs and Marlee Zein.
Last season, Auburn won home matches against both opponents by identical 4-2 scores. The win over Florida was the first in program history for Auburn, dating back to 1982.
Links to live video and live scoring for both matches are available on the schedule page at AuburnTigers.com.
For the latest on Auburn women's tennis, follow @AuburnWTennis on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Final SEC road trip of season next for No. 13 Auburn
