The Auburn women's tennis team is off to the Blue Gray Invitational and is hoping to be serving and acing their way up the rankings.
After a successful weekend at home with a 7-0 win against Alabama A&M and a 4-3 win against Memphis, the team hopes to carry that momentum to the invitational in Montgomery Feb. 25\0xAD-27.
The team started off with a competitive schedule early in the season and struggled to get a win under its belt.
"We wanted to have an ambitious schedule to start, you have to play the best when you're in the best conference in the country," said coach Tim Gray. " I just told them to stay positive and keep working hard."
Gray said the theme of their season so far is adapting for every game.
With two teammates injured and five freshman adjusting to the collegiate level of tennis, Gray said they need to continue working hard and adapt to the changes that come their way.
"We want to be a team that doesn't give away free points and a team that won't allow any easy outs," Gray said.
This is the first time in its history the Blue Gray Invitational has been opened up to women.
Normally there are 16 men's teams who participate in the tournament, but this year there are eight men's teams and eight women's teams.
"We're excited to play in the inaugural event," Gray said. "We're looking at it as a great opportunity to try and get some ranked wins and climb back up in the rankings."
The Auburn Tigers will be competing against teams from all around the nation including DePaul University, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma University, University of Utah, University of Virginia and University of Alabama.
Gray said all of the teams will be highly competitive, but Alabama and Virginia should prove to be particularly challenging matches.
"Alabama is very good this year; their ranking is not indicative of how good they are," Gray said. "I think they're in the 30s or 40s right now but they're a top 20 team."
Alabama's women's tennis team knocked out its second 7-0 win against the Chattanooga Lady Mocs Sunday, which was the Crimson Tide's third sweep in a row and fourth of the season.
The University of Virginia recently defeated Baylor, ranked third in the nation, and Gray said the team is ready and excited for the challenge.
"It will be a great experience to play against competitive matches," said freshman Jacqueline Kasler. "We're ready and looking forward to it."
Kasler and Olivia Bennett, who are both freshmen, said the team's positivity and hard work is what's going to earn them wins in the future.
Kasler also said that above all, the team's greatest strength is its heart and that every player is a competitor and wants to win.
"No matter what the score is, we're always there giving it 100 percent," Bennett said.
Gray said the team isn't happy about their No. 61 ranking, and they look forward to getting some wins at the Blue Gray Invitational to begin climbing the rankings.
"Our conference is a tough field; it's like playing in an NCAA tournament," Gray said. "We'll have to be ready to play."
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