LEXINGTON, Ky. – The 21st-ranked Auburn women's tennis team bounced back from its first SEC loss to earn a 4-2 victory on the road at Kentucky Sunday afternoon.
The Tigers (8-2, 3-1 SEC) pulled ahead early thanks to winning the doubles point, but had to grind out a win at the bottom of the lineup in a match that lasted nearly four-and-a-half hours.
"We have an incredibly resilient group," Auburn head coach Caroline Lilley said. "Tennis is a game of momentum swings. The way we choose to manage our match, meaning how professional we are with how we handle the time between points and games, the better we will play as the match progresses. After all, solutions will only be found by those willing to look for them."
Auburn took an early 1-0 lead, claiming the doubles point for the first time in SEC play. The Tigers fell behind as Selin Ovunc and Taylor Russo dropped their match at the top doubles spot, 6-3, but courts two and three came through. Georgie Axon and Adeline Flach downed UK's Girbau and Stevens, 6-3, and Carolyn Ansari and Madeline Meredith secured the team point with a 7-5 win over 57th-ranked Jacobs and Tkachenko at the third doubles spot.
The lead grew to 2-0 as Axon stayed unbeaten in four SEC singles matches with a 6-1, 6-4 win over Elizabeth Stevens. Kentucky got on the board as Ovunc fell to Akvile Parazinskaite, 6-2, 6-4. But the Tigers got that point back as Ansari downed Lesedi Jacobs, 6-4, 7-5.
With the final two matches just getting underway as Kentucky's indoor facility has just four courts, the Wildcats got another point as UK's Carlota Molina downed Auburn's Yu Chen in three sets, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 at the No. 2 spot.
About 80 minutes later, Flach would grab the clinching point on court 6 with a 7-6, 6-2 win to seal the victory and push Auburn to 3-1 in the SEC. Russo dropped the first set on court five but pushed it to a third and was leading in the third when play was halted.
The Tigers are back at home for their next three matches, beginning with a rivalry showdown with Alabama next Saturday, March 6. Match time is set for noon CT; fans may attend if the match is played outdoors, and admission is free.
For the latest on Auburn women's tennis, follow @AuburnWTennis on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
#21 Auburn 4, Kentucky 2
Singles
1. Akvile Parazinskaite (UK) def. #62 Selin Ovunc (AU), 6-2, 6-4
2. Carlota Molina (UK) def. Yu Chen (AU), 3-6, 6-3, 6-4
3. Carolyn Ansari (AU) def. Lesedi Jacobs (UK), 6-4, 7-5
4. Georgie Axon (AU) def. Elizabeth Stevens (UK), 6-1, 6-4
5. #99 Taylor Russo (AU) vs. Carla Girbau (UK), 1-6, 7-5, 3-2 unfinished
6. Adeline Flach (AU) def. Maialen Morante (UK), 7-6 (3), 6-2
Order of finish: 4, 1, 3, 2, 6
Doubles
1. Parazinskaite/Arrese (UK) def. #11 Ovunc/Russo (AU), 6-3
2. Axon/Flach (AU) def. Girbau/Stevens (UK), 6-3
3. Ansari/Meredith (AU) def. #57 Jacobs/Tkachenko (UK), 7-5
Order of finish: 1, 2, 3