BATON ROUGE – The LSU Lady Tiger tennis team embarks on an SEC weekend road trip when it travels to face Auburn on Friday at 2:30 p.m. CDT at Yarbrough Tennis Center.
The Lady Tigers (9-9, 3-3 SEC) aim to get back to their winning ways after dropping two conference matches last weekend. Auburn (4-13, 0-6 SEC) enters the contest still looking for its first SEC win.
“This is an opportunity for us to get back on track following a couple of tough matches last weekend,” said LSU women’s tennis coach Tony Minnis. “Auburn is very tough to play on the road, so we have to be sure to be ready to go.”
Auburn is propelled in singles competition by Caroline Thornton. Despite a 4-10 record this spring, the sophomore has won three of her last four matches while playing out of the No. 2 and 3 slots for the Tigers.
Thornton teams with junior Taylor Schreimann to help the squad’s efforts in doubles play. The Auburn duo has won three of its last five matches and currently holds a 5-5 record this spring season.
LSU freshman Yvette Vlaar will look to provide the Lady Tigers with a solid performance in singles. The Weert, Netherlands, native had won seven of her last eight matches before a couple of tough losses last weekend. She is second on the team with eight wins this spring.
Following a difficult weekend on the singles court, Kaitlin Burns hopes to regain her momentum against Auburn. The sophomore had won four of her last five matches heading into last weekend and enters Friday’s matchup with a 4-3 clip in road singles matches this season.
The Lady Tigers hope to get back on track on the doubles court on Friday and will be led by its new ace doubles team of juniors Whitney Wolf and Olivia Howlett. Since Howlett’s debut last Friday against Georgia, the twosome has lost two competitive matches to Georgia’s ninth-ranked tandem of Chelsey Gullickson and Kate Fuller and No. 59 Natalie Pluskota and Millie Nichols of Tennessee.
LSU leads the all-time series with Auburn 24-9 including last season’s 5-2 victory in Baton Rouge.
Live stats will be provided for Friday’s contest and can be followed at www.LSUsports.net/livestats.
LSU will continue its road trip when it heads to Tuscaloosa to face Alabama on Sunday at 1 p.m. CDT.
Follow the LSU women’s tennis team on Twitter @LSUwten and on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/LSUwten.