The 23rd-ranked Alabama women’s tennis team won its final home match of the season in Tuscaloosa Saturday over the Auburn Tigers, 7-0.
The Crimson Tide moved up to 15-5 this season (8-3 SEC) and, for the first time since 2004, sent Auburn home without a single point.
“It doesn’t matter the rankings when it comes to this match,” sophomore Alexa Guarachi said. “They’re our biggest rivals, and every year each team is going to bring their best because it’s about survival.”
Doubles proved to be a clean sweep over the Tigers. Antonia Foehse and Mary Anne Macfarlane gained an early advantage over Auburn’s Taylor Schreimann and Taylor Cohen and dominated the match, 8-0. Soon after, Tide team Alex Clay and Taylor Lindsey overcame Caroline Thornton and Paulina Schippers, 8-3.
On court one, Tigers Plamena Kurteva and Jacqueline Kasler put up a hard fight against the No. 10-ranked pair Guarachi and Courtney McLane, only to falter, 8-2. The victory secured the doubles point and inspired the Tide to pose an all out attack in singles.
“In doubles, when we play this well, it helps so much going into singles,” Guarachi said. “It helps build momentum for the whole team.”
Alabama Senior Meritt Emery took a strong lead in the first set of her match against Taylor Schreimann, and she came out with a 6-1, 6-3 win in her last home match. Clay swept the first set with a bit of a lead struggle in the second. A great final play earned Clay the next win over Kasler 6-0, 6-3 on court four.
Guarachi kept consistent favor in her match against Schippers, resulting in a 6-3, 6-3 victory while McLane toppled Kurteva on court three 6-2, 6-1.
No. 33 Macfarlane scrambled out of a 5-5 tie with Thornton on court one for the win 6-2, 7-5 while Foehse came back in the second set from Auburn’s unwavering advantage to bring in a win and the final point, 6-3, 7-5.
“I have a lot of respect for Auburn,” head coach Jenny Mainz said. “They’ve had a tough year. They’ve been injured, undermanned, and under staffed, and I thought their performance was commendable. They fought on every court.”
Alabama will go on to compete in the SEC Championships on Apr. 22 in Knoxville, Tenn. The team received a first-round bye for finishing top four in the region and will face the winner of the Vanderbilt/Mississippi State match held on Apr. 21.
“To be where we are now with eight conference wins in a row and to finish with a decisive 7-0 win, I think it speaks volumes to the team’s perseverance, to their determined spirit, and to their belief in each other,” Mainz said. “I still think our best tennis is ahead of us.”
