AUBURN, Ala. – Auburn looks to improve their six-match winning streak this weekend as they welcome both of the Southeastern Conference's Mississippi schools to the Plains. The Tigers will battle Ole Miss on Friday at 3 p.m. CT and Mississippi State on Sunday at noon CT.
Auburn opened the 2023 conference schedule on Sunday with a 4-3 victory over rival Alabama at home. Its overall record of 11-2 is the second-best in the SEC and its six-match winning streak is the league's longest active streak.
Junior Carolyn Ansari's win over Alabama's Ola Pitak on Sunday improved her dual singles record to a team-best 9-2 with all nine wins being consecutive. Sunday's singles victory also marked the junior's 70th overall career singles win and her 50th career dual singles win. The Greensboro, North Carolina native's impressive play moved her up to 41st in the latest ITA singles rankings that were released on Tuesday.
Freshman DJ Bennett's first career SEC singles victory on Sunday improved her dual singles record to 7-5 and was her fifth consecutive win on the singles court. She and doubles partner Kaitlyn Carnicella continue to lead the team with six victories on the doubles court.
Ole Miss, the 58th ranked team in the country by the ITA, currently has a 7-3 overall record and split their first two conference games by falling to Vanderbilt on Friday and defeating Kentucky on Sunday at home.
Sophomore Ludmila Kareisova is the lone Rebel ranked by the ITA in singles at 93rd. Kareisova and Anaelle Leclarcq-Ficher are usually paired together at the top of the Ole Miss doubles lineup and have a team-best 6-1 record. Kareisova and Leclarcq-Ficher are ranked 59th in the nation in doubles.
Looking ahead to Auburn's Sunday opponent, Mississippi State holds a 10-3 overall record, but has not gotten off to a good start in conference play. The Bulldogs lost to Kentucky on Friday and Vanderbilt on Sunday at home, both by a 5-2 final score.
Graduate student Emmanouela Antonaki has had a successful fifth season so far for Mississippi State, as she holds a 14-8 overall singles record as well as a 9-3 dual singles record. Antonaki and Gia Cohen have a team-best 5-3 dual doubles record for the Bulldogs on court one.
Friday's match against Ole Miss is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. CT while Sunday's match against Mississippi State is slated for noon CT. Both matches will be played at the Yarbrough Tennis Center where admission is free. Live streaming video and live stats for each match will be available online at AuburnTigers.com.
