AUBURN, Ala. – Auburn graduate student Selin Ovunc has been named SEC Player of the Week, the league office announced on Wednesday. Ovunc earned the honor after winning two singles matches and two doubles matches over the weekend and boosting the Tigers to team victories over 33rd ranked Ole Miss and Mississippi State.
Ovunc was moved up one spot than usual on the Tigers' singles lineup to the No. 4 position in both matches and delivered wins on Friday and Sunday. On Friday, Ovunc came back from a 4-2 deficit to win the opening set in a tiebreaker against Anaelle Leclercq. After dropping the second set, she again prevailed in a tiebreaker during the third set for a 7-6 (4), 2-6, 7-6 (2) victory.
In Sunday's singles match, the Auburn veteran again bounced back from a 4-2 deficit to win her first set over Dharani Niroshan 7-5. She then cruised in her second set against Niroshan and completed a 7-5, 6-0 win to clinch the team win for the Tigers.
Ovunc and Carolyn Ansari were also moved up one spot on the Tigers' doubles lineup to No. 2 and helped delivered two doubles points for Auburn.
On Friday, Ovunc and Carolyn Ansari jumped out to an early 3-1 lead before Ole Miss' Anaelle Leclecq and Ludmila Kareisova cut the deficit to 4-3. Ovunc and Ansari then won the next two games to claim the match 6-3 and clinch the doubles point for Auburn.
Against Mississippi State, the Auburn duo started the match by running away with a 6-0 doubles victory on court two. The pair's win marked their eighth of the spring and set the tone early in the match for the Tigers.
The Ankara, Turkey native becomes the second Tiger this season to earn the honor, as DJ Bennett was named the season's first SEC Player of the Week on Jan. 31. This marks the second time in Ovunc's career that she has been tapped for the award.
Ovunc and the Tigers will be back in action on Friday afternoon at 3 p.m. against Tennessee at home. Live video and live scoring of the match at the Yarbrough Tennis Center will be available online at AuburnTigers.com and the Auburn Tigers app.