FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – No. 12 Auburn suffered their fourth conference loss of the season to No. 57 Arkansas by a 6-1 final score on Friday evening.
"Really proud of our team," Auburn head coach Caroline Lilley said after the match. "Definitely not the result any of us wanted, but we faced adversity with class and fight. We have nothing to hang our heads about. We have more tennis to be played, more matches to compete in, and growth and development to pursue."
The doubles point began with Adeline Flach and Angella Okutoyi picking up their eighth dual win of the season by upsetting Grace O'Donnell and Lenka Stara, the 75th ranked doubles team in the nation, by a 6-3 score. The other two close doubles matches were decided by a tiebreaker. The Tigers fell in both tiebreakers, giving the doubles point to Arkansas.
Okutoyi and Ariana Arseneault both claimed the first set in their respective matches to begin singles play. Flach and Carolyn Ansari each lost their matches in two sets to give the Razorbacks a 3-0 team lead.
The Tigers did not stop fighting, as Kaitlyn Carnicella and Ali DeSpain both forced a third set in their respective matches. All four remaining matches eventually reached a third set.
Arkansas' Leka Stara completed a comeback to defeat Okutoyi 1-6, 7-5, 6-3 to clinch the match win for the Razorbacks. Moments after Stara clinched the team win, Auburn freshman Kaitlyn Carnicella earned her ninth dual singles victory of the season over Indianna Spink 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 to give put the Tigers on the scoreboard.
Arseneault then lost the third set in her match to Kelly Keller 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 and Ali DeSpain fell in a close tiebreaker to decide the third set in her match with Kacie Harvey 13-11.
With the victory, Arkansas reaches .500 with a 10-10 overall record and a 4-7 record in the SEC. The loss for Auburn drops its record to 16-6 overall and 6-4 in conference play.
Auburn will stay on the road to battle Missouri in an Easter Day match in Springfield, Missouri at 11 a.m. CT. Live scoring of the match will be available online at mutigers.com.
#57 Arkansas 6, #12 Auburn 1
Singles Results:
#94 Kelly Keller def. #36 Carolyn Ansari 6-4, 6-4
#49 Carolina Gomez def. #44 Ariana Arseneault 5-7, 6-4, 6-4
Kaitlyn Carnicella def. Indianna Spink 3-6, 6-4, 6-4
Lenka Stara def. Angella Okutoyi 1-6, 7-5, 6-3
Morgan Cross def. Adeline Flach 7-5, 6-2
Kacie Harvey def. Ali DeSpain 7-5, 2-6, 1-0 (13-11)
Doubles Results:
#45 Morgan Cross/Indianna Spink def. #26 Carolyn Ansari/Ariana Arseneault 7-6 (11-9)
Adeline Flach/Angella Okutoyi def. #75 Grace O'Donnell/Lenka Stara 6-3
Kelly Keller/Carolina Gomez def. Ali DeSpain/Kaitlyn Carnicella 7-6 (7-5)