No. 12 Auburn pulls off dramatic win over Vanderbilt

No. 12 Auburn pulls off dramatic win over VanderbiltNo. 12 Auburn pulls off dramatic win over Vanderbilt
Grayson Belanger/Auburn Tigers

AUBURN, Ala. – No. 12 Women's tennis had a dramatic finish against Vanderbilt in a 4-3 home win on Sunday afternoon. With the score tied at three, senior Ariana Arseneault won a close match over Anessa Lee to clinch the team win and begin the celebration on court two.
 
"We've done a really good job of adjusting the doubles teams and getting that doubles point, which is huge for momentum" Auburn head coach Lester Cook said after the win. "It was a really tough start to the singles. It looked like we could have lost every match, but the team did a great job of fighting and staying in the match. All we were talking about today was cheering for each other, keeping good energy and being positive which I think really helped in that situation where the match could have gone either way."
 
Originally scheduled for noon, the match was pushed back due to wet conditions on the outdoor courts at the Yarbrough Tennis Center from morning mist. The sun came out and the match began under perfect conditions at 1 p.m. CT.
 
Auburn came out hot in the doubles point to grab the early momentum. With the match tied at one, the Tigers top doubles team of Arseneault and DJ Bennett won the next five games to secure a quick 6-1 win over Lee and Celia-Belle Mohr. Just a few minutes later, Selin Ovunc and Caroyn Ansari came through with a convincing win of their own on court three to claim the doubles point.
 

 
The Commodores took the momentum back in the early stages of singles, leading the opening set at one point on five courts. Angella Okutoyi won her opening set 6-4 on court four, but Arseneault and Bennett each had to go to tiebreakers to earn first set wins in each of their respective matches.
 
Vanderbilt tied the match with a straight set win on court six before Okutoyi tallied her seventh dual singles win of the season on court four. Okutoyi's 6-4, 6-2 win was her third consecutive singles win and pushed the Tigers back in front 2-1.
 
The Commodores again tied the score as No. 17 Mohr defeated No. 16 Ansari 6-3, 6-4. After trailing 1-3 in her second set on court three, Bennett came roaring back with five straight game wins to defeat 42nd ranked Bridget Stammel 7-6 (8), 6-3. The win marks Bennett's fourth ranked singles win of the season and her 18th overall singles win of the 2023-24 campaign. After another straight set win for Vanderbilt on court five, the team outcome came down to the match between Arseneault and Lee.
 
Arseneault, who had the one-set advantage, started her second set strong with a 2-0 lead. After Lee cut the set deficit to 5-4, the senior received the serve again and dominated the final game to earn a 7-6 (2), 6-4 win and begin a celebration with her teammates on court two.
 

 
The win improves Auburn's record to 8-5 and a perfect 2-0 start to Southeastern Conference play.
 
The Tigers will get to stay at home for their next conference opponent, Missouri. The match will be played on Friday at 3 p.m. CT at the Yarbrough Tennis Center. Live video and live scoring of the match will be available online at AuburnTigers.com.
 
 
#12 Auburn 4, #27 Vanderbilt 3
 
Singles Results:
1. #17 Celia-Belle Mohr (VAN) def. #16 Carolyn Ansari (AUB) 6-3, 6-4
2. #73 Ariana Arseneault (AUB) def. Anessa Lee (VAN) 7-6 (7-2), 6-4
3. #77 DJ Bennett (AUB) def. #42 Bridget Stammel (VAN) 7-6 (10-8), 6-3
4. #105 Angella Okutoyi (AUB) def. #122 Valeria Ray (VAN) 6-4, 6-2
5. Holly Staff (VAN) def. Selin Ovunc (AUB) 7-5, 6-3
6. Amy Stevens (VAN) def. Ava Esposito Cogan (AUB) 6-4, 6-4
 
Doubles Results:
1. Ariana Arseneault/DJ Bennett (AUB) def. Celia-Belle Mohr/Anessa Lee (VAN) 6-1
2. Angella Okutoyi/Adeline Flach (AUB) vs. Valeria Ray/Bridget Stammel (VAN) 4-3, unfinished
3. Carolyn Ansari/Selin Ovunc (AUB) def. Sonya Macavei/Holly Staff (VAN) 6-2
 
Time of match: 2:47; Order of finish: Doubles: 1,3; Singles: 6,4,1,3,5,2; Official: Donna Jerome