AUBURN, Ala. – No. 25 Auburn posted a 7-0 win over the Samford Bulldogs Thursday afternoon at the Yarbrough Tennis Center.
"We were a lot better today," said a pleased Auburn head coach Bobby Reynolds. "We came out here to play the ball the way we wanted to, not playing the opponent or the emotions or the pressure – just playing smart percentage tennis.
"Our guys had plenty of energy and they shared that, talking to each other and supporting each other. That's our culture growing together. We had a very mature understanding today of how to benefit each other as teammates when it was needed.
"Samford played a good match and didn't quit fighting. That helps us get ready for next weekend's matches indoors at the ITA Kickoff at Wake Forest, where we will face three excellent teams in Wake, Duke and Middle Tennessee."
Auburn won the doubles point for the third time this season. Auburn's Tyler Stice and Alejandro Moreno jumped out to a quick 6-1 win on court three over Matthew Gooch and Harrison Williams, and then Jan Galka and Billy Blaydes clinched the team point with a 6-2 victory on court two over Samford's J.B. Pickard and Sandeep Mohandoss.
The Tigers continued their advantage in singles, capturing the first set in all six matches. Raul Dobai was the first to add a singles point to the Auburn score, winning 6-4, 6-1 over Will Gray on court five, and freshman Billy Blaydes added a 6-2, 6-2 win for the Tigers on court six over Darcy Nicholls to make the team advantage 3-0.
Finn Murgett clinched the team match with a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Sandeep Mohandoss on court four. The remaining singles matches were played out, with Will Nolan, Alejandro Moreno and Tyler Stice each winning in straight sets to complete the shutout.
Auburn is now 3-0; Samford is 0-2 and hosts Kennesaw State Saturday at 1 p.m.
Next on the Tiger schedule, Auburn travels to Wake Forest for the ITA Kickoff January 27-28; Duke and Middle Tennessee State round out the four-team ITA field.
The Tigers' next home matches are Sunday, February 5, when Auburn hosts Georgia Tech and the College of Charleston at the Yarbrough Tennis Center (1717 Richland Road, Auburn). Admission is free.
#25 Auburn 7, Samford 0
Singles
#66 Tyler Stice (AU) def. Mohammed Ali Bellalouna (SU) 7-5, 6-4
#110 Will Nolan (AU) def. J.B. Pickard (SU) 6-1, 7-5
Alejandro Moreno (AU) def. Maxwell Giddens (SU) 6-3, 6-1
Finn Murgett (AU) def. Sandeep Mohandoss (SU) 6-2, 6-2
Raul Dobai (AU) def. Will Gray (SU) 6-4, 6-1
Billy Blaydes (AU) def. Darcy Nicholls (SU) 6-2, 6-2
Doubles
Murgett/Dobai (AU) v Bellalouna/Giddens (SU) 4-4 unfinished
Jan Galka/Blaydes (AU) v Pickard/Mohandoss (SU) 6-2
Stice/Moreno (AU) v Matthew Gooch/Harrison Williams (SU) 6-1
Time of match: 2:16; Order of finish: Doubles: 3,2; Singles: 5,6,4,2,3,1; Official: Donna Jerome
