WTEN CENTRAL: #18 Lady Vols at Auburn/Alabama

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The 18^th-ranked Tennessee women's team begins a four-match road trip this weekend, heading south to face No. 49 Auburn and No. 39 Alabama.

The Lady Vols (14-5, 4-3 SEC) take on Auburn at 3 p.m. ET on Friday afternoon followed by a 12 p.m. ET match with Alabama on Sunday.

Tennessee is coming off of a pair of home SEC wins this past weekend over Mississippi State and Ole Miss. The Lady Vols defeated Mississippi State on Friday, 4-2, before shutting out Ole Miss, 4-0.

The win over Mississippi State was Lady Vol head coach Alison Ojeda's 50^th win since taking over as head coach at UT prior to the 2017 season, while the Ole Miss win was the Lady Vols' 10^th shutout victory of the season.

The Lady Vols were rewarded for the pair of wins by ascending 11 spots in this week's ITA team rankings to No. 18. In addition to the women's team's placement in the top 20, the Tennessee men's tennis team came in at No. 15 in the men's rankings, meaning that the UT men's and women's programs are both ranked inside the top 20 at the same time for the first time since April of 2012.

Auburn (13-9, 0-7) started the season with a 13-2 record, but has slipped since the start of SEC play. Despite their current losing streak, the Tigers are 10-2 at home this season.

Alabama (14-7, 3-4) is 12-2 at home this season, with wins including then-18^th-ranked Kentucky, Mississippi State and Auburn. The Crimson Tide faces No. 1 Georgia on Friday afternoon before hosting Tennessee on Sunday.

SERIES HISTORY: The Lady Vols are 33-11 all-time against Auburn, including a winning mark of 11-6 at Auburn. Tennessee also holds a 35-18 advantage over Alabama, 35-7 in Tuscaloosa.

FRESHMAN PHENOMS: Tennessee freshmen Maia Haumuller and Rebeka Mertena have each had stellar freshman seasons since arriving at UT in January.

Haumuller is 11-3 in singles during dual matches this season and has won eight of her past nine matches. Mertena is 13-3 in dual matches and has won nine of her past 10 singles contests. Mertena is 4-1 in SEC play, while Haumuller is 2-1.

DOUBLES DOMINATION: Tennessee's doubles accomplishments have not been limited to just the success of sixth-ranked duo Sadie Hammond and Kaitlin Staines. As a team, Tennessee has won the doubles point in 15 of its 19 matches this season.

Rebeka Mertena and Johanna Silva are 7-3 in dual matches at the Lady Vols' No. 3 doubles spot, tallying wins against Mississippi State and Ole Miss last week. At the Lady Vols' No. 2 doubles spot, Tenika McGiffin and Maia Haumuller are 7-4 in dual matches.

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Players Mentioned

Sadie Hammond

Maia Haumuller

Tenika McGiffin

Rebeka Mertena

Johanna Silva

Kaitlin Staines

University of Tennessee Athletics