Auburn battles back against Arkansas

AUBURN, Ala. -- Andie Dikosavljevic battled back from a 4-1 deficit in the third set to lead No. 10 Auburn past No. 7 Arkansas in Nashville, Tenn. on Thursday. The Tigers (22-9) will face fourth-ranked Georgia on Saturday in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament.

"I am extremely proud of our girls for bouncing back to beat a really good Arkansas team today," Auburn head coach Lauren Spencer said. "We really focused on the doubles point today, because we knew it would be crucial and it was. Allie and Andie stepped up for this team, just like they have all season and I am really proud of them. Now we have to regroup and get ready for a battle with Georgia tomorrow."

With the match on the line, Dikosavljevic battled back and defeated No. 43 Shannon Hudson, 6-7 (8), 6-4, 7-5, to improve to 18-8 in singles. The junior has won seven matches over ranked opponents this season.

"Andie stepped up big for us again today," Spencer said. "This was one of the toughest match that I have seen her play and with her back against the wall, she pulled it out."

Auburn jumped on top early, taking a tightly contested doubles point with wins on courts two and three. Andie Dikosavljevic and Alannah Griffin clinched the point with a 7-6 (5) victory on court two and improved to 14-10 on the season.

In singles, Griffin tied the match at two with her fourth-straight win, defeating Sasha Shkorupeieva 6-4, 6-1 on court six. The sophomore is now 15-11 in singles on the season.

Alizee Michaud picked up her SEC-leading 32nd singles victory of the season and 13th win over a ranked opponent, with a 0-6, 6-2, 7-5 win over No. 70 Ana Oparenovic. The junior is currently third on Auburn's single season wins list.

Auburn's match against Georgia is set begin at 12 p.m. tomorrow in Nashville, Tenn.