AUBURN, Ala. – Auburn will defend its undefeated record in home matches over the weekend, as it will host three matches at the Yarbrough Tennis Center in Auburn, Alabama. The Tigers will face Kentucky on Thursday at 3 p.m. before a Saturday doubleheader with No. 19 Tennessee at noon CT and Alabama A&M at 5 p.m. CT.
“We have to look at Kentucky in a different lens than last season,” said Auburn head coach Bobby Reynolds. “We need to look at them as the 2025 team and not the 2024 team that won the SEC regular season. We need to come out with a bit more confidence and play that way early on. We want to play with scoreboard pressure on our side in that match.
Against Tennessee, we know they’re going to be scrappy. That is the way that they play and have a strong top of the lineup, especially at No. 1 doubles. That will be a huge matchup for us. I always love our chances when we are at home. We’re undefeated at home and we just play more confidently, plus the courts play to our advantage.”
Auburn earned two dramatic conference victories at home last weekend, defeating both No. 18 Oklahoma and Ole Miss by scores of 4-3. Will Nolan came through in a second set tiebreaker to clinch the Tigers’ victory over the Sooners on Thursday while junior Billy Blaydes’ comeback win in three sets clinched the team victory over the Rebels on Saturday. The two wins improved the Tigers’ ITA National Team Ranking from No. 39 to No. 27 this week.
Auburn senior captain Will Nolan received SEC Player of the Week honors for his stellar performance over the weekend on Wednesday. With the match tied at three against Oklahoma, Nolan faced multiple set points before prevailing over No. 79 Oscar Lacides 7-6 (3), 7-6 (6) to clinch the upset for the Tigers. On Sunday, Nolan turned an early opening set lead over Noah Schlagenhauf into a 6-3 first set win before bracing the heavy wind to prevail 7-5 in a second set tiebreaker.
Kentucky, ranked No. 30 by the ITA, will enter Thursday’s match with an 11-6 overall record and a 4-3 record in SEC matches this season. The Wildcats are coming off a perfect weekend at home, where they defeated LSU and Vanderbilt. Kentucky touts four ranked singles players by the ITA: No. 49 Jack Loutit, No. 63 Antoine Ghibaudo, No. 74 Jaden Weekes and No. 121 Charlelie Cosnet.
Tennessee will enter the weekend as the winner of four consecutive matches against Arkansas, Kentucky, Ole Miss and LSU. The Volunteers hold an overall record of 13-5 this season and a 4-3 record in conference matches. Shunsuke Mitsui has had an impressive season for Tennessee, compiling a 13-2 dual singles record and a 9-4 dual doubles record this season. Mitsui is ranked No. 24 in singles by the ITA.
Auburn will cap off the weekend against in-state foe Alabama A&M on Saturday evening. The Bulldogs have a 3-9 overall record this season.
Attendance to all three matches at the Yarbrough Tennis Center will be free and each match will be played outdoor with weather permitting. Fans at Thursday’s match will receive free Chick-fil-A sandwiches while supplies last. All attendees at Saturday’s match will get to enjoy charcuterie and Bubly sparkling water while supplies last.
Live video and live scoring of each match will be available online at AuburnTigers.com.