OXFORD, Miss. – Auburn won its fifth match in a row to open SEC play as the No. 7 Tigers outlasted Ole Miss 4-3 Sunday afternoon at the Palmer/Salloum Tennis Center.
The Tigers (14-2, 5-0 SEC) won the doubles point for the seventh straight match and were able to grind out three singles victories to continue one of the best starts to a season in program history.
"Ole Miss is a talented team," Auburn head coach Caroline Lilley said. "They fought hard and made us better today. The more we face adversity, the better we will learn what our unique recipe is.
"Every player is different, but one thing this team embodies on a daily basis is selflessness. The ordinary days are where aggressive tennis is mastered."
Auburn took a 1-0 lead after a pair of doubles victories got the match off to a quick start. Madeline Meredith and Carolyn Ansari sprinted to a 6-1 win at the No. 3 spot, and the 21st-ranked tandem of Selin Ovunc and Ariana Arseneault followed with a 6-4 victory on court one. Georgie Axon and Adeline Flach, for the second straight match, were a game away from a win of their own when play was halted.
Ole Miss struck first in singles as 57th-ranked Ovunc fell to 79th-ranked Sabina Machalova at the top spot, 6-4, 6-2. But Auburn answered quickly as No. 114 Ansari downed the Rebels' Reka Zadori, 6-4, 6-3, to put the Tigers back on top.
Axon picked up her second win of the weekend with a 7-5, 6-2 victory over Lillian Gabrielsen at the fifth singles spot to put Auburn ahead 3-1. And Yu Chen would overcome a first-set defeat to post a comeback win and clinch the match for the Tigers, 2-6, 6-0, 6-4, over Elysia Pool on court six.
Tiebreakers would not go the Tigers' way in the two remaining matches. No. 54 Arseneault came up just short on court two to Ludmilla Kareisova, 4-6, 6-7 (5), and Adeline Flach faced two tiebreakers in the final match of the day, falling to Rachel Krzyzak, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-7 (4).
Auburn's 5-0 start in league play is the best for the Tigers since starting 6-0 in the SEC in 1993.
The Tigers will look to keep the momentum going next weekend with a pair of home matches at the Yarbrough Tennis Center. Auburn will face No. 35 Arkansas at 3 p.m. CT Friday, followed by a noon CT Sunday match with Missouri. Admission to all Auburn home tennis matches is free.
For the latest on Auburn women's tennis, follow @AuburnWTennis on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
#7 Auburn 4, #61 Ole Miss 3
Singles
1. #79 Sabina Machalova (OM) def. #57 Selin Ovunc (AU), 6-4, 6-2
2. Ludmila Kareisova (OM) def. Ariana Arseneault (AU), 6-4, 7-6 (5)
3. #114 Carolyn Ansari (AU) def. Reka Zadori (OM), 6-4, 6-3
4. Rachel Krzyzak (OM) def. Adeline Flach (AU), 4-6, 7-6 (4), 7-6 (4)
5. Georgie Axon (AU) def. Lillian Gabrielsen (OM), 7-5, 6-2
6. Yu Chen (AU) def. Elysia Pool (OM), 2-6, 6-0, 6-4
Order of finish: 1, 3, 5, 6, 2, 4
Doubles
1. #21 Ovunc/Arseneault (AU) def. Machalova/Krzyzak (OM), 6-3
2. Axon/Flach (AU) vs. Gabrielsen/Kareisova (OM), 5-3 unfinished
3. Ansari/Meredith (AU) def. Pool/Mize (OM), 6-1
Order of finish: 3, 1