AUBURN, Ala. – After a road trip that featured matches against Wisconsin and Notre Dame last weekend, Auburn men's tennis will be back at home on Sunday to face Middle Tennessee State and The Citadel. The Tigers will play Middle Tennessee State at noon CT followed by The Citadel at 4 p.m. CT at Yarbrough Tennis Center.
"Weather looks good for Sunday and it looks like it will be over 50 degrees, so this will be a good time to get back outside and work towards the conference schedule," said Auburn head coach Bobby Reynolds. "I think that benefits us as a team. We'll have slower and bouncier courts, and our guys do a good job of playing defense and resetting points."
MTSU will enter Sunday's match with a 7-4 record that includes a ranked win over No. 22 Mississippi State. The Blue Raiders have two ranked singles players, including 18th ranked Leo Raquin. Raquin, who has played every match at the top of the MTSU singles lineup this season, has a 7-3 dual singles record including a straight set victory over No. 13 Petar Jovanovic of Mississippi State.
This will be the second time the two teams have played each other in as many years, as the Tigers and Blue Raiders faced off last season at the Blue-Gray National Tennis Classic in Montgomery, Alabama. Auburn defeated No. 25 MTSU 4-0 in that match before moving on to claim the tournament title against Arizona.
Auburn's second match on Sunday will be against The Citadel, a team with a 3-7 record that is coming off a home loss on Friday to Gardner-Webb. The Tigers lead the all-time series over the Bulldogs 5-0.
During Auburn's weekend road trip, senior Finn Murgett was the highlight for the Tigers on the singles courts, claiming both of his matches to extend his singles winning streak to four matches to begin the season.
The first match of the Sunday doubleheader is slated for 11 a.m. CT against MTSU while the second match is scheduled for 4 p.m. CT. Fans in attendance for the first match of the day at the Yarbrough Tennis Center will have the opportunity to enter a raffle to win a free pickleball set. The winner will be selected following the initial match.
Live video and live stats of both matches on Sunday will be available online at AuburnTigers.com.
