AUSTIN, Texas – No. 14 Auburn is one of 16 teams left standing in Division I women's tennis.
Standing in their way of advancing to the NCAA quarterfinals for the first time in program history are the defending national champions.
But for the Tigers (22-5), Friday's match at noon CT against No. 3 Texas is just another match against a top opponent – something Auburn has seen plenty of this season.
"They're the defending national champions," Auburn head coach Caroline Lilley said. "They have a great culture, good experience. But we know that we can compete with them. We know they're going to put up a fight, but we know that we're capable.
"We hope we can play a little bit better doubles point than we did against Georgia Tech, even though we did earn some opportunities at the end, but we're going to play an aggressive style. We're going to trust our stuff and play within ourselves, and we're going to earn opportunities."
AUBURN IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
Auburn has matched its deepest run in the postseason already, advancing to the round of 16 for the third time. The Tigers previously did so in 2016 and 2017, falling in that round each of the last two trips. In 2016, Auburn fell to No. 6 Vanderbilt 4-0 in Tulsa, Okla., and in 2017, the Tigers dropped a 4-2 decision to No. 6 Texas Tech in Athens, Ga.
This, however, is the first time Auburn will play in a super regional – a format similar to the baseball and softball postseasons that debuted for tennis in 2019. With the pandemic canceling the 2020 postseason and last year's championships reverting to the previous format of the top 16 teams advancing to the championship site, this is just the second year of the new format in tennis.
SERIES HISTORY
This is the second time Auburn has faced Texas in women's tennis. The teams previously met in the 2014 ITA Kickoff; the Longhorns won that matchup 4-1 in Austin.
HOW THEY GOT HERE
Auburn is the No. 13 national seed in the 2022 NCAA Championships. The Tigers defeated Jackson State 5-0 in the first round last Friday, then won an epic 4-3 match over Georgia Tech in the second round to punch their ticket to the super regional.
Texas is seeded fourth overall. The Longhorns finished off a pair of 4-0 wins over Ball State and Michigan to earn a host spot for Friday's match.
SCOUTING AUBURN
Three All-SEC First-Team selections lead the Tigers into the postseason. Selin Ovunc, Ariana Arseneault and Carolyn Ansari have held down the top three spots in the singles lineup for the majority of the season. Ovunc is ranked No. 34 in the most recent national rankings and earned a berth in the NCAA singles field, announced last week. Arseneault comes in at No. 75 nationally, is 29-9 on the year, and has won six straight matches with four coming against ranked opponents. And Ansari is ranked No. 114 and owns a 29-10 record in singles this season.
Senior Yu Chen and graduate student Georgie Axon have been rock solid in the lower half of the lineup. Axon is 28-7 overall this season in singles and is 7-0 since moving up to the No. 4 spot late in the season. Chen owns a 29-10 singles mark and provided the clinching point in Auburn's second-round victory over Georgia Tech.
Ovunc and Arseneault are the No. 9-ranked doubles tandem nationally with a 19-7 record. Doubles has been a strength of the Tigers this season; Auburn has claimed the doubles point in 20 of 27 matches.
SCOUTING TEXAS
Texas is making its 37th NCAA Tournament appearance and is the defending national champion. The Longhorns are 22-4 overall and won the Big 12 Tournament title last month.
Four Texas players are ranked in the most recent ITA release: Peyton Stearns (No. 2), Kylie Collins (No. 49), Sabina Zeynalova (No. 93) and Malaika Rapolu (No. 95). The Longhorns have a pair of ranked singles teams in Stearns/Zamarripa (No. 11) and Charlotte Chavatipon/Collins (No. 67).
HOW TO FOLLOW
For Auburn fans in the Austin area that wish to attend, admission is free for Friday's match at the Texas Tennis Center. Parking is available in the East Campus garage adjacent to the tennis facility and baseball stadium.
Live stats will be available at TexasSports.com. Live streaming video can be found via the TennisONE app.
For the latest on Auburn women's tennis, follow @AuburnWTennis on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Tigers set for Super Regional showdown at Texas
