Tigers pick up five wins over Alabama Saturday

Tigers pick up five wins over Alabama SaturdayTigers pick up five wins over Alabama Saturday
Alabama Athletics

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The Auburn women's tennis team earned five wins over Alabama Saturday afternoon on the second day of the SEC Challenge at the Alabama Tennis Stadium.

For the second straight day, Auburn earned two doubles wins and three singles victories with all matches Saturday coming against the rival Crimson Tide.

In doubles, Auburn took two of the three matches to start the afternoon session. The team of Georgie Axon and Adeline Flach won their second match of the weekend, defeating Alabama's team of Hiser and Parkhomenko, 6-3. A second win came as Yu Chen and Carolyn Ansari downed Bama's Orefice/Gorchanyuk, 7-5. The Tigers' Taylor Russo and Shir Azran came up short in a 6-1 loss to the Tide's Riley and Harvison.

Flach picked up her first collegiate singles win with a 6-1, 6-0 defeat of Sydney Orefice. Axon also earned a win, downing Bama's Sasha Gorchanyuk, 6-4, 6-2. And Chen grabbed a 6-2, 6-3 win over Sydney Riley.

Two other matches went to three sets as Ansari fell to Isabella Harvison, 7-5, 1-6, 6-3, and Azran dropped a 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 decision to Anna Parkhomenko. Russo fell in the remaining match to Anne Marie Hiser, 6-2, 6-3.

Despite the individual wins, Auburn head coach Caroline Lilley believes her team's effort could have been better and expects more moving forward.

"The standard we choose to hold ourselves to has to be of the utmost quality," Lilley said. "I am disappointed in today, and I am most disappointed with myself. As the leader of this program, I have to do a better job of making sure the standard is never sacrificed. I shoulder all the responsibility. Being great in the areas we can control, and embracing that standard of excellence, must come from the top. I am looking forward to a quality response from all eight of us tomorrow."

The Tigers wrap up the weekend Sunday with doubles and singles matches against opponents from LSU. Live video will be available at rolltide.com.

For the latest on Auburn women's tennis, follow @AuburnWTennis on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Auburn Results - Saturday, Oct. 24
SEC Challenge – Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Singles

Isabella Harvison (Alabama) def. Carolyn Ansari (Auburn) 7-5, 1-6, 6-3
Georgie Axon (Auburn) def. Sasha Gorchanyuk (Alabama) 6-4, 6-2
Anne Marie Hiser (Alabama) def. Taylor Russo (Auburn) 6-2, 6-3
Yu Chen (Auburn) def. Sydney Riley (Alabama) 6-2, 6-3
Anna Parkhomenko (Alabama) def. Shir Azran (Auburn) 6-3, 4-6, 6-2
Adeline Flach (Auburn) def. Sydney Orefice (Alabama) 6-1, 6-0

Doubles
Riley/Harvison (Alabama) def. Russo/Azran (Auburn) 6-1
Axon/Flach (Auburn) def. Hiser/ Parkhomenko (Alabama) 6-3
Chen/Ansari (Auburn) def. Orefice/Gorchanyuk (Alabama) 7-5