LEXINGTON, Ky. – No. 13 Auburn took down No. 51 Kentucky for their first road win in SEC play this season by a 5-2 final score. Freshman Angella Okutoyi's three-set comeback victory sealed the win for the Tigers.
"Today was a great effort all around," Auburn associate head coach Megan Falcon said after the match. "We showed composure, grit and resilience. The longer the match goes, the more it benefits us. Sustained competitiveness requires deliberate choices and professionalism when facing adversity. Kentucky made us better today. We are excited about continuing to improve."
Auburn's top doubles team of Ariana Arseneault and Carolyn Ansari set the tone early in doubles play by defeating the 63rd ranked doubles team of Carlota Molina and Elizabeth Stevens 6-1 on court one. The win is the 15th overall this season for Arseneault and Ansari.
Adeline Flach and Angella Okutoyi fell in their match on court two, but the freshman duo of Katilyn Carnicella and DJ Bennett defeated Lidia Gonzalez and Florencia Urrutia by a 6-4 score to remain undefeated against conference opponents at 5-0 as well as the doubles point for the Tigers.
After Carnicella suffered a two set loss that tied the match at one, Bennett came through with a convincing 6-1, 6-3 win on court three for Auburn's first singles victory.
Arseneault also won in two sets on court two by a 7-5, 7-6 (3) score on court two for her third consecutive victory on the singles court. Her win put Auburn to within one point of a team victory at 3-1.
On court one, Ansari bounced back after dropping the first set 6-2 and coming back to force a tiebreaker in the second set that she won 7-5. The senior ultimately fell in a back-and-forth third set 7-5.
With both remaining matches requiring a third set, Okutoyi's 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 comeback win was the point that sealed the Auburn team victory. The win marks the freshman's 10th singles victory of the season. Flach finished just moments after Okutoyi as she picked up a 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 match win to make the final score 5-2.
With the victory, Auburn improves to 15-5 on the season and 5-3 in conference play while Kentucky falls to 12-8 on the season and 4-5 in SEC play.
The Tigers' road trip continues on Sunday, as they will face No. 37 Vanderbilt in Nashville. The match is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. CT at the Lummis Family Tennis Center. Live video and live scoring of the match will be available online at vucommodores.com.
#13 Auburn 5, #51 Kentucky 2
Singles results:
1. #48 Florencia Urrutia (UK) def. #32 Carolyn Ansari (AU) 6-2 6-7 (5-7) 7-5
2. #50 Ariana Arseneault (AU) def. Ellie Eades (UK) 7-5 7-6 (7-3)
3. DJ Bennett (AU) def. Carlota Molina (UK) 6-1 6-3
4. Lidia Gonzalez (UK) def. Kaitlyn Carnicella (AU) 6-1 6-1
5. Angella Okutoyi (AU) def. Zoe Hammond (UK) 4-6 6-3 6-4
6. Adeline Flach (AU) def. Maialen Morante (UK) 6-3 3-6 6-3
Doubles results:
1. #20 Carolyn Ansari and Ariana Arseneault (AU) def. #63 Carlota Molina and Elizabeth Stevens (UK) 6-1
2. Ellie Eades and Zoe Hammond (UK) def. #80 Adeline Flach and Angella Okutoyi (AU) 6-3
3. DJ Bennett and Kaitlyn Carnicella (AU) def. Lidia Gonzalez and Florencia Urrutia (UK) 6-4