AUBURN, Ala. – No. 4 Auburn is set to host Western Carolina, UAB, Liberty and Alabama A&M this weekend at the Yarbrough Tennis Center. The Tigers will face Western Carolina and UAB at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. CT Friday before taking on Liberty and Alabama A&M at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. CT Sunday.
“We want to test the girls physically and mentally early in the season, and we want to play as much as possible,” Auburn head coach Jordan Szabo said. “When the whip starts cracking, we want to be match-tough and match-ready. We’ll have 10 girls to choose from on Friday and Sunday. Everybody is getting to play, but we’re not overworking the players. We have a plan in place so everyone gets the necessary matches.”
Auburn opened its 2026 dual match schedule with two convincing shutouts against Bellarmine on Sunday. Newcomers Ashton Bowers, Eva Ionescu and Ekaterina Khairutdinova each recorded their first Auburn victories in both singles and doubles during the doubleheader.
Senior Angella Okutoyi will enter Friday’s matches after claiming four International Tennis Federation titles earlier this month in her hometown of Nairobi, Kenya.
Friday will mark the season opener for Western Carolina and UAB, while Sunday will also mark the first matches of the season for Liberty and Alabama A&M.
Admission to all matches at the Yarbrough Tennis Center is free. Fans in attendance Friday for the match against Western Carolina will have the opportunity to compete in a “Courtside Chalk-Off” for $150 in gift cards. On Sunday, fans will receive free flavored popcorn while supplies last.
Live video and live scoring for each match will be available at AuburnTigers.com. More fan information is available at AuburnTigers.com/MatchDay.
Ranked Auburn players (ITA)
Singles:
No. 27 – Ashton Bowers
No. 28 – Ava Esposito
No. 90 – Alice Battesti
No. 119 – Natalie Outcalt
Doubles:
No. 55 – Ashton Bowers/DJ Bennett
No. 59 – Ava Esposito/DJ Bennett