ATHENS, Ga. – The top-ranked Auburn women’s tennis team triumphed over No. 10 LSU with a score of 4-1 in the NCAA Championship quarterfinals held at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex in Athens, Georgia. After securing the doubles point, Auburn faced challenges in singles, losing the first set on five courts but rallied back with singles wins from Ekaterina Khairutdinova, Angella Okutoyi, and Eva Ionescu.
Auburn is set to compete against No. 4 Ohio State in the NCAA Championship semifinals on Saturday at 3 p.m. CT.
“Winning the doubles point was critical for us,” said Auburn head coach Jordan Szabo. “We’ve only lost a few this year, so that was a significant boost for us. However, we found ourselves in a tough spot early in singles. Our performance wasn’t our best, but the team showcased great fight and spirit, improving as the match progressed.”
He added, “Leaving Merna (Refaat) out was a tough call, but we believed it was the best choice for the team’s chances to win. We have immense trust in Ava (Esposito), Eva (Ionescu), and all the players we selected to step up. I’m very proud of the girls; they’ve put in so much effort this year and are a fantastic group.”
Khairutdinova and Ashton Bowers continued their impressive run at the No. 3 doubles position, helping the Tigers to an early lead. The duo battled LSU’s Carolina Kuhl and Addison Lanton closely before winning four straight games to clinch a 6-3 victory, marking their 30th win together this spring. LSU answered with a 6-4 victory on the top doubles court, leaving the decisive point to the second court.
At the No. 2 position, LSU’s Kenna Erickson and Ella McDonald initially led 4-2 against Auburn’s Okutoyi and Refaat. However, Okutoyi and Refaat rallied back, winning four straight games to clinch the doubles point for Auburn.
Auburn’s singles lineup saw adjustments from the previous rounds, with Bowers and Esposito moving up to No. 4 and No. 5, while Ionescu entered at No. 6. LSU started strong in singles, grabbing the first set on five courts. However, following Khairutdinova’s victory, momentum swung toward Auburn as Okutoyi, Bowers, Ionescu, and Esposito all forced third sets in their matches.
With this victory, Auburn improves to 36-3 overall and is riding a 10-match winning streak, having achieved six victories over top-10 opponents this season.
Live streaming of Saturday’s semifinal will be available on ESPN+, alongside individual court feeds and live scoring at GeorgiaDogs.com.
