AUBURN, Ala. – No. 22 Auburn men's tennis swept a doubleheader with a pair of 4-0 shutouts over #30 Ole Miss and Alabama State Saturday at the Yarbrough Tennis Center.
"That doubles point was so key today," a pleased Auburn coach Bobby Reynolds said. "We've been less effective there the last couple of matches, and success in doubles drives our success overall. I'm happy with the way our guys got on and then got off the court, especially Alejandro, Billy and Raul in the first match. We were determined to not let go of the positions we gained and not let up once we had an advantage.
"Every SEC win is big, especially against a team in the top 30. These wins should give us confidence as we head into a tough road trip next weekend."
Outdoors against Ole Miss, the Tigers captured the doubles point in convincing fashion. Jan Galka and Billy Blaydes topped Noah Schlagenhauf and Isac Stromberg by a 6-2 score, and Tyler Stice and Alejandro Moreno clinched the team point for Auburn with a 6-3 win over Walker Stearns and John Halquist Lithen.
In singles, the Tigers took the first set in four of six matches. Freshman Alejandro Moreno was first on the scoreboard for Auburn with a 6-1, 6-4 victory over Noah Schlagenhauf, and freshman Billy Blaydes followed that up with a straight-set 6-3, 6-2 win on court six.
Raul Dobai clinched the shutout for Auburn with a 6-4, 6-3 victory on court five over Isac Stromberg to finish out the Tigers' 4-0 win.
The Tigers moved indoors for the match against Alabama State, where Auburn again won the doubles point. Galka and Blaydes won 6-2 on court one over Ruan DuPreez and Sam Bajracharya, and then the Auburn combo of Finn Murgett and Will Nolan clinched the team point with a 6-2 victory on court three over Alexandre Verlaguet and Matis Amier.
Auburn took the first set in singles in all six matches, and Dobai was first to put a point on the scoreboard with a 6-4, 6-0 win over Bajracharya on court three, and Spencer Gray was a 6-1, 6-3 victor over Juan Rodriguez on court six. Will Nolan clinched the team shutout win with a 6-1, 6-2 straight set victory on court four over Matis Amier.
Auburn is now 13-6 for the spring season, 2-3 in SEC action and 9-2 at home. Ole Miss is 12-4 overall and 2-2 in SEC competition. Alabama State is 4-11 this spring.
The Tigers continue in SEC play next weekend, playing at No. 2 South Carolina Friday and at No. 26 Florida Sunday.
Auburn's next home matches are Sunday, April 2, against No. 61 Vanderbilt and Alabama A&M. Both those matches are at the Yarbrough Tennis Center (1717 Richland Road, Auburn); admission is free.
#22 Auburn 4, #30 Ole Miss 0
Singles
#124 Tyler Stice (AU) v #69 Nicola Slavic (UM) 6-4, 2-3 unfinished
Finn Murgett (AU) v John Halquist Lithen (UM) 4-6, 3-3 unfinished
Alejandro Moreno (AU) def. Noah Schlagenhauf (UM) 6-1, 6-3
Jan Galka (AU) v Lukas Engelhardt (UM) 4-6, 5-2 unfinished
Raul Dobai (AU) def. Isac Stromberg (UM) 6-4, 6-3
Billy Blaydes (AU) def. Gordon Whitwell (UM) 6-3, 6-2
Doubles
#33 Murgett/Dobai (AU) v #59 Engelhardt/Slavic (UM) 5-3 unfinished
Galka/Blaydes (AU) def. Stromberg/Schlagenhauf (UM) 6-2
Stice/Moreno (AU) def. Lithen/Walker Stearns (UM) 6-3
Time of match: 2:04; Order of finish: Doubles: 2,3; Singles: 3,6,5; Official: Donna Jerome
#22 Auburn 4, Alabama State 0
Singles
#124 Tyler Stice (AU) v David Jeanne Grandinot (ASU) 6-3, 5-2 unfinished
Alejandro Moreno (AU) v Ruan DuPreez (ASU) 6-4, 5-4 unfinished
Raul Dobai (AU) def. Sam Bajracharya (ASU) 6-4, 6-0
Will Nolan (AU) v Matis Amier (ASU) 6-1, 6-2
Billy Blaydes (AU) v Kristofer Johnson (ASU) 6-2, 3-6, 2-0 unfinished
Spencer Gray (AU) def. Juan Rodriguez (ASU) 6-1, 6-3
Doubles
Galka/Billy Blaydes (AU) def. DuPreez/Bajracharya (ASU) 6-2
Stice/Moreno (AU) v Rodriguez/Grandinot (ASU) 5-3 unfinished
Murgett/Nolan (AU) def. Amier/Alexandre Verlaguet (ASU) 6-2
Time of match: 1:52; Order of finish: Doubles: 1,3; Singles: 3,6,4; Official: Donna Jerome