The Auburn women’s tennis team, ranked No. 3 nationally, will return to the Yarbrough Tennis Center this week to host No. 11 Tennessee on Thursday and Kentucky on Saturday, according to a March 11 announcement. The Tigers are set to face the Volunteers at 3 p.m. Central Time and the Wildcats at noon.
These matches mark a return home for Auburn after playing four of its first five conference matches on the road. The team currently holds a 21-1 overall record and remains undefeated at home with a perfect 13-0 record. Auburn is one of only two teams in the Southeastern Conference with an unblemished conference record this season, standing at 5-0 alongside Texas A&M.
Head coach Jordan Szabo said, “Tennessee is a really good team and it’s going to be a really tough match. They do a really good job of fighting hard and they made a Final Four in 2024 and the Elite Eight in 2025. They’re going to be gunning for us. We went up there and had a big win against them last year and they have a lot of the same girls. I feel like we’re a much better team than we were last year, but they’re going to really compete hard and they’re playing for the right reasons. If we can make it about the tennis and just play better tennis than them like I think we’re capable of, then we’ll be in good shape.”
Last week, Auburn secured victories over Ole Miss (4-0) and No. 4 LSU (4-2), which helped propel them to their highest-ever ranking of No. 3 in the ITA national team rankings released Tuesday. The Tigers also remain atop the UTR College Team Rankings as of Wednesday.
Tennessee enters Thursday’s match with an overall record of 8-2 and has gone 4-1 in conference play so far this season. During February’s ITA National Team Indoor Championship, Tennessee defeated two top-15 teams: No. 15 Virginia and No. 8 Oklahoma State.
Looking ahead to Saturday’s match against Kentucky, Szabo said, “Kentucky has started a little weaker in the SEC, but they’ve played a lot of really good teams… But we’re going to have to bring it. There’s been a lot of carnage in the SEC already on the men’s side and the women’s side and lots of wins and losses that you don’t expect, so we’re going to have to bring our best.”
Kentucky currently holds an overall record of 8-6 but has lost all five conference matches so far this season.
Fans attending Thursday’s match will receive free “On Yarb Time” koozies while supplies last as part of Spring Break festivities at Yarbrough Tennis Center; Saturday will feature tennis bingo cards with prizes as well as a free kids clinic after the match with coaches and players.
