Auburn falls in national title match, finishes historic season as NCAA Tournament runner-up
The Tigers rewrote the school record book by winning the program's first SEC championships, earning its first No. 1 ranking, and making its best-ever run in the NCAA Tournament.
The dream season for Auburn women’s tennis ended Sunday just short of a dream finish.
Auburn fell 4-1 to Texas A&M in the national championship match in Athens, ending its run in the NCAA Tournament final.
The season remains the greatest season of tennis ever played on the Plains: Auburn won a share of the SEC’s regular-season championship then outright won the SEC Tournament championship, which were both firsts in program history. In the NCAA Tournament, Auburn women’s tennis had never advanced past the Sweet Sixteen. The Tigers roared past that mark, and earned wins in both the Elite Eight and the Final Four on the way to Sunday’s championship match.
Texas A&M, winners of the 2024 national championship, reclaimed the crown with its win.
Auburn was in trouble early after losing the doubles point — which has only happened two other times this season. Auburn’s incredible doubles play helped power the Tigers’ run to its first-ever No. 1 ranking and through the postseason, but having dropped it against Texas A&M, the Tigers found themselves in an unusual position playing from behind.
In singles play, Auburn late in first sets didn’t trail on any court — but that’s when Texas A&M turned the match, winning three first sets close, including two tiebreakers and one 7-5 decision.
The deciding doubles match also went to a tiebreaker, which Texas A&M won. Ultimately, three sets went to tiebreaker and Texas A&M won all three of them, coming up clutch in crunch time and playing like a team that’s been on the national stage before.
Auburn fourth-year senior Angella Okutoyi won her match on Court 3 in straight sets, 6-2, 6-2. Texas A&M won two singles matches in straight sets, and with 3-1 on the scoreboard, the remaining three matches went to a third. Auburn battled on all three, but Texas A&M’s Daria Smetannikov came back to defeat Ava Esposito 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 to clinch the match.
DJ Bennett was down a break on Court 1 to the nation’s No. 1-ranked player, Texas A&M’s Lucciana Perez, who finished her season with a perfect undefeated mark in singles. Bennett won the first set there, marking just the fourth time all season that Perez dropped a set.
Ekaterina Khairutdinova’s match on Court 2 was early in its third set when the match was clinched.
Auburn finished the year 37-4 on the season.
The Tigers were a perfect 22-0 at home. They re-wrote the program record books in just team’s second season under head coach Jordan Szabo — who was hired to be Auburn’s head coach two springs ago from his former post as assistant coach at Texas A&M.
Three seniors depart from Auburn’s most successful squad ever:
Bennett, a fourth-year senior who battled the best on Court 1, and who grew up homegrown from SEC country in Florida and chose to stick with Auburn through a coaching change, to become captain of its first-ever SEC championship team;
Okutoyi, Auburn’s other fourth-year senior and other leader, who led by example and entered the NCAA Tournament determined to leave a legacy for future Tigers to look up to and try to top;
Khairutdinova, a transfer senior from FIU in her one and only season in Auburn, who made the absolute most of her one year at Auburn by making it to the collegiate season’s last match.
Auburn’s eight other players have eligibility remaining entering the 2026-2027 season.
Those tiebreakers were heartbreakers, but this team played amazing all season. Just a fun team to watch- so proud of them!
Do you think our Tigers were fatigued, for whatever reason? They seemed to me to be playing tired much of the time. But despite the disappointment of losing out on the championship, they had an AUsome season & I'm proud of them! War Damn Tennis!