AUBURN, Ala. – The Auburn women's tennis team fought to the very last points of the match but came up just short in a 4-2 loss to No. 18 Tennessee Friday afternoon at the Yarbrough Tennis Center.
The 49th-ranked Tigers claimed the doubles point and took the first set on three courts in singles but could not hold on to grab a top-20 conference victory.
Auburn got off to a hot start as the No. 2 and No. 3 doubles teams picked up wins to put the Tigers on the board. The team of Yu Chen and Alannah Griffin struck first with a 6-1 win at the No. 2 spot, then Jaeda Daniel and Lindsay Song – playing together for the first time – clinched the doubles point with a 6-3 win on court three. In addition, Madeline Meredith and Taylor Russo had a 5-4 lead and were two points away from a win over the nation's No. 6 team when doubles play was halted.
Tennessee pulled ahead to a 3-1 lead with wins on courts 1, 4 and 6, but Meredith got the Tigers on the board, fighting back for a 6-4, 2-6, 6-3 victory at the No. 2 singles spot. Russo then found herself in a fierce battle on court four, fighting to 5-5 in the third set before Tennessee's Johanna Silva won a few crucial points to clinch the win for the Lady Vols. Chen was headed to a third set on court five when play was halted.
Auburn will wrap up the weekend Sunday by hosting No. 1 Georgia at the Yarbrough Tennis Center. The match is set to begin at noon, and admission is free. Fans in attendance will receive a pair of Auburn Tennis sunglasses.
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#18 Tennessee 4, #49 Auburn 2
Singles
1. #85 Sadie Hammond (UT) def. #91 Jaeda Daniel (AU), 6-2, 6-1
2. Madeline Meredith (AU) def. Kaitlin Staines (UT), 6-4, 2-6, 6-3
3. Johanna Silva (UT) def. Taylor Russo (AU), 4-6, 6-0, 7-5
4. Rebeka Mertena (UT) def. #113 Alannah Griffin (AU), 6-2, 6-1
5. Yu Chen (AU) vs. Ari Riley (UT), 6-4, 6-7 (3), unfinished
6. Tenika McGiffin (UT) def. Caroline Turner (AU), 6-4, 6-2
Order of finish: 4, 1, 6, 2, 3
Doubles
1. Meredith/Russo (AU) vs. #6 Hammond/Staines (UT), 5-4 unfinished
2. Chen/Griffin (AU) def. Haumuller/McGiffin (UT), 6-1
3. Daniel/Song (AU) def. Mertena/Silva (UT), 6-3
Order of finish: 2, 3