Alabama
Auburn University
Alabama Women’s Tennis Set to Face No. 13 Auburn
3/15/2018 10:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
The Crimson Tide will battle the Tigers on Friday at 2 p.m. CT at the Yarbrough Tennis Center
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The Alabama women's tennis team will hit the road again when it faces in-state rival No. 13 Auburn on March 16 at 2 p.m. CT at the Yarbrough Tennis Center. In the first meeting of the season, the Tigers defeated the Crimson Tide 4-0 in the third round of the Blue Gray National Tennis Classic on Feb. 24.
LAST TIME ON THE COURT
The Crimson Tide wrapped up a three-match homestand last weekend facing Ole Miss, Mississippi State and UT Martin. Alabama dropped a hard-fought battle to the Rebels, 4-2, on Thursday, and dropped a heartbreaker to the Bulldogs, 4-3, in the afternoon on Saturday. However, the Tide bounced back and capped the weekend shutting out the Skyhawks, 4-0.
CRIMSON TIDE NOTABLES
Daniell continues to dominate the field, as she leads Alabama with a 12-4 mark in dual play at No. 1, while senior Smith Hinton and sophomore Alba Cortina-Pou have both won 10 singles matches apiece. In doubles play, Hinton and sophomore Jacqueline Pelletier have led the charge with a 9-3 record, including an 8-3 mark at No. 3.
IN THE RANKINGS
Alabama women's tennis was featured on the Oracle/ITA Division I Women's Team computerized rankings for three-straight weeks this season. The Crimson Tide landed at No. 49 with a 14.00 average on March 6 and came in at No. 37 with a 17.75 average on Feb. 27. The Crimson Tide earned its highest rank at No. 31 with a 20.41 average in the first computerized rankings on Feb. 20.
In singles, Daniell currently ranks at No. 124 with a 5.07 average on the latest ITA singles rankings. In the first computerized rankings back on Feb. 20, Daniell came in at No. 118 with a 4.93 average.
SERVING UP 2018
Alabama opened its spring season on Jan. 13 after a successful fall slate, where the Crimson Tide competed in three tournaments, including the 30th Annual Roberta Alison Fall Classic at the end of October.
Alabama returns three letterwinners and welcomes five newcomers, including four transfers, to 2018.
Daniell comes back to the Capstone as the Tide's top player, and ranked as high as No. 89 this season in the ITA singles national rankings (Feb. 7). Daniell opened the fall season ranked at No. 37 on the ITA preseason list and finished fall play, 9-2, defeating one ranked opponent (No. 45 Lindsey Hodge, Rice University), while reaching the semifinal round of the 2017 ITA Southern Regional Championships.
ABOUT THE OPPONENT – AUBURN
Friday's match will mark the 62nd meeting between the two foes and the Tigers lead the series with a 36-25 mark. In the last meeting, Alabama and Auburn faced off in the third round of the 70th playing of the Blue Gray National Tennis Classic, and the Tigers ended the match on top, 4-0.
Auburn enters Friday's contest as the 13th-ranked team in the nation and sports a 15-4 record, while owning a 3-1 mark in conference play.
SEC Freshman of the Week, No. 80 Jaeda Daniel leads the Tigers in singles with an 18-9 overall record and a 9-5 mark in dual play. In doubles, Daniel and teammate Madeline Meredith sport an 8-1 record since the beginning of the spring season.
COMING UP
Alabama will host the reigning NCAA Champions No. 18 Florida on March 22 at 5 p.m. CT, and will then face No. 10 South Carolina on March 24 at 1 p.m. CT at the Alabama Tennis Stadium.
Get all the latest information on the team by following @AlabamaWTN on Twitter and Facebook and AlabamaWTN on Instagram. General athletic news can also be found at UA_Athletics on Twitter and Instagram and AlabamaAthletics on Facebook.
