April 11, 2008

AUBURN - The Auburn men's tennis team wraps up its regular season on Saturday as the team travels to Tuscaloosa to face in-state rival Alabama. The match is a pivotal one in deciding the seeds for next weekend's SEC Tournament.

The 27th-ranked Tigers look to come away with a winning record as they go into the match an even 10-10 on the season and 4-6 in the SEC. The only thing standing in the way of that winning record is the No. 22-ranked Crimson Tide (18-8, 6-4 SEC). The Tide is on a four-game winning streak that includes a big win over No. 8 Florida on April 6.

"This match is going to be our biggest challenge yet," head coach Eric Shore said. "Alabama is coming off a big win over Florida, and they are playing some good tennis. We are going to have to play our best match of the season."

Auburn snapped a four-match losing-streak with a win over South Carolina on the road, 4-3, last Sunday. The win was Auburn's first SEC road victory season, but Shore said he hopes the win along with a good week of practice will be enough to overcome Alabama this weekend.

"We have not had tons of success on the road this year, but we are fresh and more ready to play than we have been all year long," Shore said.

Both Alabama and Auburn have found success this season when winning the doubles point. Alabama has won only two matches when losing the doubles point this season.

The Tide's doubles strike is led by the No. 15-ranked duo of Mathieu Thibaudeau and Daniel Buikema. The pair are 19-3 in dual play and 26-10 overall.

"Our doubles play has been up and down lately, but I feel like we have improved this year and I have confidence that our guys will get it done," Shore said.

The match is slated for a 5 p.m., Saturday start at the Alabama Tennis Stadium. Live stats for the match will be available at www.RollTide.com.