AUBURN, Ala. – The 11th-ranked Auburn women's tennis team opened Southeastern Conference play with a 4-3 win over No. 22 Vanderbilt Friday afternoon at the Yarbrough Tennis Center.
The Tigers (10-2, 1-0 SEC) got off to a winning start in SEC play with a doubles victory and three hard-fought singles wins on a picture-perfect Friday afternoon in Auburn.
"Today was all about composure from the first point to the last," Auburn head coach Caroline Lilley said. "We are proud of our team, proud of the way they carried themselves, competed and supported one another. The little victories in the areas we can control ought to be celebrated.
"As we build on the progress we have made in the season so far, we are excited to know growth is something we always have the opportunity to chase."
The Tigers got on the board by clinching the doubles point with wins at the Nos. 1 and 3 spots. Selin Ovunc and Ariana Arseneault, ranked 44th in the latest ITA release, got the first win with a 6-2 victory over Anna Ross and Yufei Long.
Then on court three, Carolyn Ansari and Madeline Meredith clinched the point and a 1-0 lead with a 6-3 win over Vandy's Marcella Cruz and Dasha Kourkina. The match at the No. 2 doubles spot was halted with Georgie Axon and Adeline Flach trailing 5-3.
In singles, 104th-ranked Ansari made it 2-0 with a 6-3, 6-0 win over Vandy's Holly Staff. Vanderbilt got on the board at the fifth singles spot as Amy Stevens downed Axon, 6-3, 6-1.
Yu Chen gave the Tigers a 3-1 lead on court six with a 6-2, 6-4 victory over Kourkina, and Flach battled through a first-set tiebreaker to clinch the Auburn win with a 7-6 (3), 6-2 victory over Cruz.
With the match clinched, Arseneault, ranked No. 52, fell to 92nd-ranked Anessa Lee on court two, 6-4, 0-6, 3-6. Ovunc, ranked No. 60, battled to the end with 43rd-ranked Ross but came up short in a third-set tiebreaker, 1-6, 7-6 (3), 6-7 (4).
Auburn will finish off the opening weekend of league play Sunday morning as they host No. 28 Kentucky at 11 a.m. Admission is free to all Auburn tennis matches at the Yarbrough Tennis Center.
For the latest on Auburn women's tennis, follow @AuburnWTennis on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
#11 Auburn 4, #22 Vanderbilt 3
Singles
1. #43 Anna Ross (VU) def. #60 Selin Ovunc (AU), 6-1, 6-7 (3), 7-6 (4)
2. #92 Anessa Lee (VU) def. #52 Ariana Arseneault (AU), 4-6, 6-0, 6-3
3. #104 Carolyn Ansari (AU) def. Holly Staff (VU), 6-3, 6-0
4. Adeline Flach (AU) def. Marcella Cruz (VU), 7-6 (3), 6-2
5. Amy Stevens (VU) def. Georgie Axon (AU), 6-3, 6-1
6. Yu Chen (AU) def. Dasha Kourkina (VU), 6-4, 6-2
Order of finish: 3, 5, 6, 4, 2, 1
Doubles
1. #44 Ovunc/Arseneault (AU) def. Ross/Long (VU), 6-2
2. Axon/Flach (AU) vs. Lee/Staff (VU), 3-5 unfinished
3. Ansari/Meredith (AU) def. Cruz/Kourkina (VU), 6-3
Order of finish: 1, 3