Video above: Weather forecastThe top-ranked Auburn women’s tennis team is heading to the national quarterfinals for the first time in program history.The Tigers defeated No. 15 Duke 4-2 in the NCAA super regional on Friday evening, keeping their historic season alive and capping off a perfect year at home.Senior Angella Okutoyi delivered the final blow to punch Auburn’s ticket to the quarterfinals. With the Tigers clinging to a 3-2 lead, Okutoyi bounced back from a first-set loss and a deep 4-1 hole in the second set to defeat Duke’s Liv Hovde 5-7, 7-5, 6-0.>> FOLLOW YOUR TEAMS: Sports coverage from WVTM 13“I told myself that it was do or die because the points were going very quickly, and I needed to change the momentum and the rhythm,” Okutoyi said of her comeback. “Once I did that, you could tell she started to break down.”Head coach Jordan Szabo praised his team’s resilience, especially after weather delays forced the match indoors against a Duke team comfortable playing under a roof.”I don’t know if we necessarily played our best tennis, but we found a way to win,” Szabo said. “All of the pressure and expectation was on us, and we found a way to put three points on the board in singles.”Auburn (35-3) set the tone early by dominating doubles play. The duos of Ashton Bowers and Ekaterina Khairutdinova, along with Okutoyi and Merna Refaat, both cruised to quick 6-1 victories to give the Tigers a 1-0 advantage.In singles, Khairutdinova easily handled Aspen Schuman 6-2, 6-1 to put Auburn up 2-0. However, Duke fought back, tying the match at 2-2 with straight-set wins from Irina Balus and Claire An.>> WVTM 13 ON-THE-GO: Download our app for freeJunior Ava Esposito stepped up to stop Duke’s momentum. After winning her first set, she battled through a tight second-set tiebreaker to defeat Eleana Yu 6-2, 7-6 (3), putting Auburn just one point away from the team win and setting the stage for Okutoyi’s heroics.The victory extends Auburn’s winning streak to nine matches and secures a flawless 22-0 record at the Yarbrough Tennis Center this year.”The Auburn Family showed up and showed so much support,” Szabo said. “Playing this match at home definitely helped us get over the line.”The Tigers now head to the Dan Magill Tennis Complex in Athens, Georgia, where they will face the winner of No. 7 Virginia and No. 10 LSU in the national quarterfinals.Stay updated on the latest sports stories with the WVTM 13 app. You can download it here.
AUBURN, Ala. —
Video above: Weather forecast
The top-ranked Auburn women’s tennis team is heading to the national quarterfinals for the first time in program history.
The Tigers defeated No. 15 Duke 4-2 in the NCAA super regional on Friday evening, keeping their historic season alive and capping off a perfect year at home.
Senior Angella Okutoyi delivered the final blow to punch Auburn’s ticket to the quarterfinals. With the Tigers clinging to a 3-2 lead, Okutoyi bounced back from a first-set loss and a deep 4-1 hole in the second set to defeat Duke’s Liv Hovde 5-7, 7-5, 6-0.
>> FOLLOW YOUR TEAMS: Sports coverage from WVTM 13
“I told myself that it was do or die because the points were going very quickly, and I needed to change the momentum and the rhythm,” Okutoyi said of her comeback. “Once I did that, you could tell she started to break down.”
Head coach Jordan Szabo praised his team’s resilience, especially after weather delays forced the match indoors against a Duke team comfortable playing under a roof.
“I don’t know if we necessarily played our best tennis, but we found a way to win,” Szabo said. “All of the pressure and expectation was on us, and we found a way to put three points on the board in singles.”
Auburn (35-3) set the tone early by dominating doubles play. The duos of Ashton Bowers and Ekaterina Khairutdinova, along with Okutoyi and Merna Refaat, both cruised to quick 6-1 victories to give the Tigers a 1-0 advantage.
In singles, Khairutdinova easily handled Aspen Schuman 6-2, 6-1 to put Auburn up 2-0. However, Duke fought back, tying the match at 2-2 with straight-set wins from Irina Balus and Claire An.
>> WVTM 13 ON-THE-GO: Download our app for free
Junior Ava Esposito stepped up to stop Duke’s momentum. After winning her first set, she battled through a tight second-set tiebreaker to defeat Eleana Yu 6-2, 7-6 (3), putting Auburn just one point away from the team win and setting the stage for Okutoyi’s heroics.
The victory extends Auburn’s winning streak to nine matches and secures a flawless 22-0 record at the Yarbrough Tennis Center this year.
“The Auburn Family showed up and showed so much support,” Szabo said. “Playing this match at home definitely helped us get over the line.”
The Tigers now head to the Dan Magill Tennis Complex in Athens, Georgia, where they will face the winner of No. 7 Virginia and No. 10 LSU in the national quarterfinals.
Auburn Athletics
No. 1 Women’s tennis makes history with NCAA Super Regional win over No. 15 Duke
Stay updated on the latest sports stories with the WVTM 13 app. You can download it here.