The Auburn Tigers women's tennis team took their newly acquired No. 14 ranking to Madison, Wisconsin, to compete in the ITA Indoor National Championships this weekend.
While they fell to the No. 5 North Carolina State Wolfpack in the opening round, they were able to take a ranked win against No. 16 Washington, before falling 4-3 to Ohio State.
NC State
The No. 5 ranked Wolfpack proved to be unstoppable in the opening doubles matches, as they boasted a 32-14 record coming into the tournament.
The first and second courts made quick work of the Tigers, as the duos of Selin Ovunc and Ariana Arseneault along with Georgie Axon and Adeline Flach both got downed 6-1 to give NC State the opening point.
The match did not get much better for Flach and Axon, as they were both quickly swept on the fourth and fifth courts respectively. Flach was downed by Nell Miller 6-1, 6-4, and Axon fell 6-1, 6-3 to Sophie Abrams.
Down 3-0, the Tigers still showed some life. Arseneault, on the second court, took down the No. 40 ranked Abigail Rencheli after a second set tiebreaker. Yu Chen continued her success with a 6-4, 6-3 win on the bottom court. Carolyn Ansari also showed some life, winning a long tiebreaker in her first set.
However, the Wolfpack were able to clinch the victory as No. 12 ranked Jaeda Daniel beat Selin Ovunc on the feature court, ending the match. This was Auburn’s first loss of the year.
"We are disappointed in how we performed today," Auburn head coach Caroline Lilley said after the match. "There is a lot of tennis still to be played this weekend, a lot to look forward to as we remain focused on growth. I will take it upon myself to have us more prepared tomorrow to play the style of tennis I know we can be proud of."
Washington
After being sent to the consolation bracket, Auburn was looking to bounce back against the No. 16 Huskies.
Things started off strong for Auburn, as the second and third doubles squads both quickly finished their opponents 6-2 to secure the doubles point.
Madeline Meredith, who finished her first match of the tournament, partnered with Carolyn Ansari on the third court, and the Axon and Flach duo defeated their opponent just a few minutes later.
Yu Chen was the first to finish her match, as the Chinese national defeated Kelly Leung, 6-0, 6-2. She is now 7-1 on the season.
Georgie Axon was able to bounce back from her singles loss against NC State, winning 6-4, 6-1 on the fifth court.
While the Tigers did drop a point on the second court, as Ariana Arseneault fell 6-3, 6-1, to fellow Canadian Sarah-Maude Fortin, Carolyn Ansari was able to seal the win for the Tigers.
The North Carolina native took down No. 98 Nika Zupanic on the third court to seal a 4-1 victory for the Tigers.
"One thing this team never wavers from is the willingness to find a response," Lilley said. "Setting a tone with your stinginess while giving yourself the freedom to play the style of tennis you know will make you better is a choice.
Ohio State
With a win tucked under their belt, the Tigers were ready to take on the No. 11 Buckeyes on the third day of the tournament.
Just as they did the day before, the Tigers took the doubles point in quick succession.
As the Meredith and Ansari duo took the third court matchup 6-4, and the No. 43 ranked Ovunc and Arseneault duo took the top court 6-1.
The match itself featured four three-set matches, and five sets that went past the six-game threshold. It was an absolute battle, featuring incredibly even matchups across the lineup.
Carolyn Ansari finished her match first against No. 77 Sydni Ratliff 6-4, 6-2 to pull Auburn out to a 2-0 lead.
However, Auburn’s fortunes moved the other way, as Arseneault, Flach and Axon all lost their first sets.
Axon, who was blanked in her opener, was able to fire back, finishing Shelly Bereznyak 0-6, 6-4, 7-5.
The luck did not continue for Auburn as Arsenault quickly dropped her second set 6-3, and Ovunc lost on the top court 7-6 (8-6), 4-6, 3-6.
The match fell to two third-set matchups to decide the score, as Adeline Flach and Yu Chen played for Auburn on the fourth and sixth courts respectively.
After winning her second set 6-4, Flach’s match against Kolie Allen went to a third set tiebreaker, but she could not outlast the Illinois native, who took the break 7-5.
Yu Chen, despite her recent run, ran out of gas in the final set, losing 7-5 to No. 114 Lucia Marzal, giving the Buckeyes the match.
"What a great college tennis battle," Lilley said. "Matches like today will make us better. The fight was commendable from the entire team, which earned us a plethora of opportunities.”
Auburn will finish its non-conference schedule against Tulane. That match will take place on Sunday, Feb. 20 at noon CT. It will take place at the Yarbrough Tennis Center in Auburn.
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Dylan Fox, Junior in Civil Site Design Engineering, joined The Plainsman as a sports writer in Spring 2020. From Geneva, IL.
