Contributed by Wesley Todd/AU Athletics

Nine home matches and an early start to Southeastern Conference play highlight the 2021 Auburn women’s tennis spring schedule, which was announced last Monday.

Auburn began play Sunday, Jan. 17, on the road at Furman, before playing at home for the first time on Friday, Jan. 22, against Samford. The Tigers will then trek to Jacksonville to take on North Florida on Jan. 24, then return home for another Friday match against South Florida on Jan. 29. Non-conference play wraps up the next weekend with road matches at Georgia Tech and Clemson. 

The 2021 SEC schedule will have the same home/away designations as the 2020 season; only two weekends of league play were completed before last season was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, two open weeks are built into the conference schedule this season in case of postponements. 

Conference play opens Feb. 19-21 as the Tigers host South Carolina and Florida. The next weekend (Feb. 26-28) sees a road trip to Vanderbilt and Kentucky. A three-match home stand follows, beginning with a showdown against rival Alabama on Saturday, March 6. The next weekend will feature home contests against Mississippi State (March 11) and Ole Miss (March 13). 

After an open week, the Tigers head to Arkansas (March 26) and Missouri (March 28), then return to Auburn for the final two home matches of the season against Texas A&M (April 1) and LSU (April 3). The regular season wraps up April 8-10 with matches at Tennessee and Georgia. The SEC Tournament begins April 19 in Tuscaloosa. 

Admission is free to all home tennis matches, which are played at the Yarbrough Tennis Center on Richland Road in Auburn. Fans are welcome to attend any matches played outdoors and must wear face coverings and maintain social distancing. 

Head coach Caroline Lilley is in her second season at the helm of the Auburn women’s tennis program. The Tigers posted an 8-6 dual match record in the abbreviated 2020 season.

For the latest on Auburn women’s tennis, follow @AuburnWTennis on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.