AUBURN, Ala. – No. 7 women's tennis remained undefeated in conference play on Sunday afternoon after defeating Mississippi State by a 6-1 final score. The Tigers took down both of the Mississippi schools in the conference this weekend, as they beat Ole Miss 4-3 on Friday.
"The SEC is the best conference in college tennis," Auburn associate head coach Megan Falcon said after the match. "Every match is competitive and every match makes us better. Our goal is to stay focused on building our house knowing we have everything to gain."
Auburn's 20th ranked doubles team in the nation, Ariana Arseneault and Carolyn Ansari took down Chloe Cirotte and Emma Antonaki by a 6-3 score on court one to start doubles play for the Tigers. A few moments later, the Tiger freshman duo of DJ Bennett and Kaitlyn Carnicella defeated Alexandra Mikhiluk and Sydney Hrehor for their team-best eighth doubles win in dual matches. That win claimed the doubles point for Auburn, so Adeline Flach and Angella Okutoyi's match on court two, which they were leading 5-4, was suspended.
Much of Auburn's success continued into singles play, as Auburn claimed first set wins on courts two, four, five and six. The Tigers went on to claim all four of those courts in two sets. Okutoyi was the first to finish with a dominating 6-1, 6-1 win on court five. Bennett took down No. 88 Maria Rizzolo 6-1, 6-3 to claim her third win over a ranked singles opponent of the season.
Flach finished just seconds behind her teammates with a 6-2, 6-1 victory on court six. The junior's win clinched the Auburn team victory. Ansari picked up her 10th singles dual match victory of the season and 14th singles victory overall with a 6-0, 6-4 win on court two.
Adeline Flach takes court six 6-2,6-1!
— Auburn Women's Tennis (@AuburnWTennis) March 12, 2023
It's all Auburn, up 5-0 pic.twitter.com/XHq23QFvrt
Arseneault and Carnicella both forced a third set by winning the second set in each of their matches. With the team win already decided, the third set was determined by a 10-point tiebreaker in both matches. Antonaki defeated Arseneault for a 6-1, 5-7, 1-0 (5) win on court one while Carnicella prevailed for a 2-6, 6-2, 1-0 (6) on court three.
With the team victory, Auburn remains undefeated against Southeastern Conference opponents at 3-0 and improves their overall record to 13-2. Mississippi State dropped to 10-5 for the season and 0-4 in conference play.
The Tigers will face their first conference road match of the season on Friday against Tennessee. The match at the Goodfriend Tennis Center will be at 3 p.m. CT.
#7 Auburn 6, Mississippi State 1
Singles results:
1. Emma Antonaki (MS) def. #46 Ariana Arseneault (AUB) 6-1, 5-7, 1-0 (10-5)
2. #41 Carolyn Ansari (AUB) def. Gia Cohen (MS) 6-0, 6-4
3. Kaitlyn Carnicella (AUB) def. Alexandra Mikhailuk (MS) 2-6, 6-2, 1-0 (10-6)
4. DJ Bennett (AUB) def. #88 Maria Rizzolo (MS) 6-1, 6-3
5. Angella Okutoyi (AUB) def. Emily Surcey (MS) 6-1, 6-1
6. Adeline Flach (AUB) def. Sydney Hrehor (MS) 6-2, 6-1
Doubles results:
1. #20 Ariana Arseneault/Carolyn Ansari (AUB) def. Chloe Cirotte/Emma Antonaki (MS) 6-3
2. #64 Adeline Flach/Angella Okutoyi (AUB) vs. Gia Cohen/Maddie Bemisderfer (MS) 5-4, unfinished
3. DJ Bennett/Kaitlyn Carnicella (AUB) def. Alexandra Mikhailuk/Sydney Hrehor (MS) 6-4
Time of match: 2:21 Order of finish: Doubles: 1,3; Singles: 5,4,6,2,1,3 Official: Donna Jerome