AUBURN, Ala. – No. 12 Auburn will face its first two Southeastern Conference opponents of the season at home over the weekend. The Tigers will face Kentucky on Friday at 3 p.m. CT and 23rd ranked Vanderbilt on Sunday at noon CT at the Yarbrough Tennis Center.
"It's always great when it's SEC play because it means a little bit more," said Auburn head coach Lester Cook, "Something that I've been telling the players is that no matter who you are playing, if you stay within yourself, control what you can control and do your best you're going to be fine. We're trying to focus on ourselves."
Auburn will enter Friday's match with a 6-5 record following a weekend that ended with a 7-0 shutout of USF in Tampa. Fifth-year senior Carolyn Anasri had a perfect weekend for the Tigers during their Florida swing, winning both of her singles matches and both of her doubles matches.
Playing at the top of the Auburn singles lineup, Ansari earned her 10th ranked win of the season over No. 13 Lisa Zarr on Friday against Pepperdine. The Greensboro, North Carolina native also had success on the doubles court, as she and partner Selin Ovunc extended the doubles point against Pepperdine and clinched the doubles point against USF, winning their matches 6-2 and 6-4, respectively.
Kentucky will enter the SEC opener with a 6-3 record and last played on Feb. 18, which was a 7-0 win over Eastern Kentucky. Elizabeth Stevens and Makayla Mills are ranked No. 43 in doubles by the ITA and hold a 10-6 overall record as well as a 3-3 dual match record this season. Zoe Hammond and Lidia Gonzalez have both won five consecutive singles matches for the Wildcats.
Auburn's Sunday opponent, Vanderbilt, was ranked No. 23 in the latest ITA team rankings that were released on Tuesday. The Commodores currently hold a 5-2 record and have won their last five matches. Vanderbilt's Celia-Belle Mohr holds a 19-5 overall singles record this season at the top of the singles lineup card. Mohr is the highest ranked Commodore in singles at 17th in the nation.
Friday's SEC opener against Kentucky will begin at 3 p.m. CT at the Yarbrough Tennis Center. In observance of SEC Employee Appreciation Day, all employees of an SEC institution will receive a free Chick-fil-a sandwich while supplies last. When the Tigers face Vanderbilt on Sunday at noon, fans in attendance will receive a pair of Auburn women's tennis sunglasses while supplies last.
Live video and live scoring of both matches will be available online at AuburnTigers.com.
