Auburn University women’s tennis team beats North Florida 4-3.
Saturday’s victory ends Auburn’s non-conference schedule as the Tigers welcome rival Alabama to the Plains on Sunday, March 5 at noon. Auburn rounded out its non-conference run with a 10-2 record and four wins over ranked opponents.
As reported by the Auburn University website, Flach set the tone for the Tigers once singles play began by defeating Kendall Nash 6-1, 6-3 on court six to claim the first singles game. Ansari, who is ranked 48th in singles nationally, also won her match in straight sets on court two by defeating Megan Forster by a score of 6-3, 6-3.
Ansari is now on an eight-game hitting streak on singles courts and boasts the team’s most doubles singles wins with eight. DJ Bennett and Kaitlyn Carnicella shut out Kendall Nash and Megan Forster 6-0 on court three and earned their sixth double-doubles win of the season, which leads the team.
Shortly after their win on court three, Adeline Flach and Angella Okutoyi had a 6-2 win over Isabel Oliverira and Jasmin Makela on court two to give Auburn the doubles point. No. 21 Carolyn Ansari and Ariana Arseneault were leading Kit Guliher and Ana Paula Melilo, the 43rd ranked doubles team in the country, by a score of 5-3 when the match was abandoned.
Bennett took the third set 6-2 to clinch the match win for the Tigers to win 6-2, 2-6, 6-2. With the team win secured and a 4-1 Auburn lead, Angella Okutoyi and Kaitlyn Carnicella each fell in their three set match on courts five and three respectively, narrowing the margin of victory to one.
North Florida’s Kit Guliher, who had a strong season for the Ospreys, beat No. 28 Ariana Arseneault on court one in a 6-3, 6-3 victory. The win improved Guiliher’s doubles singles record to 7-1 for the season. The victory on court one paired with North Florida’s Isabel Oliveira that forced her match with Bennett to a third set on court four began to turn the momentum in the direction of the Ospreys.
Auburn head coach Caroline Lilley told: “The start to our game was a vast improvement over last weekend. However, we chose not to build on the momentum with a substantial physical or emotional investment from each player. We were conditionally competitive, and that has led us to not perform the way we are capable of.
The quality of our preparation, and the mental strength to persevere, is built on the practice field. We look forward to a very competitive and physical week.” About Auburn University Auburn is a public university located in Auburn, Alabama, United States.
With more than 25,000 students and 1,200 faculty members, it is one of the largest in the state. Auburn University’s sports teams are known as the Tigers and compete in Division I-A of the NCAA and the Western Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC).
Auburn has won 19 intercollegiate championships (including 17 NCAA championships), three of them in football (1913, 1957, 2010), 8 in men’s swimming and diving (1997, 1999, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009 ), 5 in women’s swimming and diving (2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007), 2 in equestrian (2008, 2011), and one in women’s track and field (2006).
Auburn has also won a total of 70 Southeastern Conference titles, 51 men’s and 19 women’s. Auburn’s colors are orange and blue, chosen by George Petrie, the head coach of the college’s football team, inspired by the colors of his alma mater, the University of Virginia.
Auburn was founded on February 7, 1856 during the presidency of Franklin Pierce, as East Alabama Male College, a private liberal arts school affiliated with the Methodist Episcopal Church. In 1872 the college became the first public university to benefit from the Morrill Act and was renamed the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Alabama. Photo credits: Auburn University website
