STARKVILLE, Miss. – No. 18 Auburn finished its Mississippi weekend road trip with two wins after a 4-0 shutout win over Mississippi State on Sunday. The Tigers dominated the doubles point, then tacked on three straight set singles wins for their sixth conference victory this season.
"The girls were impressive in doubles yet again," Auburn interim head coach Lester Cook said after the win. "Mississippi State has some great players and it was important to not take them lightly, which can happen when playing a team that hasn't won a conference match yet. We did a great job of staying focused and getting a quick win."
Carolyn Ansari and Selin Ovunc started the match by running away with a 6-0 doubles victory on court two. The Auburn duo's win marked their eighth of the season and set the tone early for the Tigers. On court one, Ariana Arseneault and DJ Bennett gained an early 2-1 lead and never looked back. Arseneault and Bennett won the next four games to defeat Alexandra Mikhailuk and Athina Pitta 6-1 and clinch the doubles point for Auburn.
Mississippi State fought back with early leads on the top two courts that turned into opening set victories. Auburn claimed opening sets on each of the other four courts to stay in control of the match.
Bennett picked up a quick opening set win on court three while Ovunc came back from a 4-2 deficit to win her first set over Dharani Niroshan 7-5. Adeline Flach and Jayna Clemens' first set was close early, but Flach won the last three games in a row to claim the set and Ali DeSpain broke away from a 4-4 tie in her opening set to claim it over Alessia Tagliente 6-4.
Bennett continued her dominant singles play by blanking Athina Pitta in the second set and earning a 6-1, 6-0 victory on court three for her ninth consecutive singles win that gave Auburn a 2-0 advantage.
Flach bounced back from being down 3-2 early in the second set to defeat Clemens in straight sets on court six for her 10th overall singles win of the season. One court over on court five, Ovunc cruised in her second set against Niroshan and completed her 7-5, 6-0 win at nearly at the same time as court five. Ovunc's win marked her fifth dual match win of the spring and clinched the team win for the Tigers.
The win improved Auburn's record to 12-7 and 6-2 in the SEC while the loss dropped the Bulldogs to 9-10 overall and 0-7 in conference play.
The Tigers will return home for the final weekend of the season for matches against Tennessee on Friday and Georgia on Sunday. Fans in attendance on Friday's match beginning at 3 p.m. CT will receive an Auburn tumbler while supplies last. Sunday's senior day match against Georgia will begin at noon CT.
#18 Auburn 4, Mississippi State 0
Singles Results:
1. Alexandra Mikhailuk (MSST) vs. #18 Carolyn Ansari (AUB) 6-4, 2-2, unfinished
2. Maria Rizzolo (MSST) vs. #74 Ariana Arseneault (AUB) 6-1, 3-6, 1-1, unfinished
3. #62 DJ Bennett (AUB) def. Athina Pitta (MSST) 6-1, 6-0
4. Selin Ovunc (AUB) def. Dharani Niroshan (MSST) 7-5, 6-0
5. Adeline Flach (AUB) def. Jayna Clemens (MSST) 6-2, 6-4
6. Alessia Tagliente (MSST) vs. Ali DeSpain (AUB) 4-6, 2-3, unfinished
Doubles Results:
1. #9 Ariana Arseneault/DJ Bennett (AUB) def. Alexandra Mikhailuk/Athina Pitta (MSST) 6-1
2. Carolyn Ansari/Selin Ovunc (AUB) def. Chloe Cirotte/Maria Rizzolo (MSST) 6-0
3. Dharani Niroshan/Alessia Tagliente (MSST) vs. Ali DeSpain/Adeline Flach (AUB) 2-5, unfinished
Time of match: 1:55; Order of finish: Doubles: 2,1; Singles: 3,5,4; Official: Wes Mayfield
