AUBURN, Ala. – The postseason begins for the 12th-ranked Auburn women's tennis team this week as they begin play at the 2022 SEC Tournament in Gainesville, Florida.
The Tigers (20-4, 11-2 SEC) are the No. 2 seed at the tournament, their highest seed ever, and will play at 5 p.m. CT Friday against the winner of Thursday's match between Alabama and Tennessee.
"We just played there (at Florida) a couple of weeks ago, so we're used to the conditions," Auburn head coach Caroline Lilley said. "We like those courts. It's pretty similar to here, which is nice. Knowing we play an evening match is exciting. It's hard to sit around all day, but any adversity, any change like that is always to our advantage.
"I think all year we've faced a lot of different things. In a tournament like this, we have to win three matches to win the tournament. You're not going to play well every day, and it's not going to be the same four players getting the job done. And that's what makes the NCAA and SEC Tournament so special. (A player) could take a lump on Friday, you could get destroyed, then turn around and clinch the match on Saturday. That's tournament time. Your confidence has to come from how you prepare and how you practice."
It's been a season of program bests so far for Auburn. The second-place finish in the final SEC standings and an 11-2 conference record are both the top marks in program history.
"At the end of the postseason, we'll definitely look back and be able to enjoy it maybe a little more than we can right now," Lilley said. "But at the same time, this team is never satisfied and always hunting for that next opportunity."
The Tigers enter the postseason with three individuals in the national singles rankings. Junior Selin Ovunc leads the way at No. 35, sophomore Ariana Arseneault is No. 65, and junior Carolyn Ansari comes in at No. 107.
In doubles, Arseneault and Ovunc cracked the top 10 for the first time this week, coming in at No. 9. Last week, the top Tiger tandem was ranked No. 16 and earned wins over the No. 15- and No. 17-ranked teams in Auburn's victories over Tennessee and Georgia.
Auburn has wins over both its potential quarterfinal opponents this season. It was just a week ago that the Tigers pulled away late for a 6-1 win over the Lady Vols at home. Ovunc provided one of the key moments in that match, fighting off two match points at 4-5 in the second set before battling back for a three-set win.
Against Alabama on March 12, a hard-fought match went the Tigers' way in a 5-2 victory in Tuscaloosa. Georgie Axon and Adeline Flach, trailing 5-2, won five straight games to clinch the doubles point and set the tone for the rest of the match. Arseneault, Ansari, Flach and Yu Chen would secure singles victories for the Tigers.
Live scoring and live video for Friday's match are available at FloridaGators.com. Links to both, along with a tournament central page, can be found on the women's tennis schedule page at AuburnTigers.com.
For the latest on Auburn women's tennis, follow @AuburnWTennis on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
No. 12 Auburn women's tennis ready for SEC Tournament
