The Alabama women’s tennis team is set to face the Auburn Tigers on Friday at 5 p.m. at the Alabama Tennis Stadium.

In its last match, the Crimson Tide defeated the LSU Tigers 6-1. Head Coach Jenny Mainz said the team had a strong showing against the Tigers.

“I think we had a real breakthrough on Sunday against LSU,” Mainz said. “Mary Anne Macfarlane winning was big, and Alexa Guarachi having a very convincing win also was big for us against LSU.”

Alabama is currently ranked eighth in the country and is on an eight-match winning streak. Mainz said the team has done a good job of not looking ahead and taking each match one at a time.

“We are taking one match at a time, that has been the focus,” Mainz said. “I certainly think we have picked up a lot of momentum and we have been picking up wins the hard way.”

Mainz said the team is a bunch of grinders who continue to work until the end, contributing to the team’s success.

“We have had some gutsy performances,” Mainz said. “We have won matches by outworking and out competing our opponents and we are consistently getting better.”

The Tide has had a few matches that have been close until the end, and Mainz said facing adversity has really helped the team improve and get better.

“We have had a lot of difficult matches and have been in challenging situations, but we are finding ways to win constantly is strengthening our team and is making us better,” Mainz said.

Auburn comes into the match against Alabama at 14-1 and is ranked No. 17 in the country. Mainz said the team is looking forward to playing against its rival.

“It is a very good and healthy rivalry for us,” Mainz said. “We are excited for the opportunity to face them.”

However, this match will not be an easy one for the Tide, as the Tigers come in 4-0 in Southeastern Conference play and have played well this season.

“We are 4-0 in the west and so are they,” Mainz said. “So this match obviously will hold a lot of weight in the SEC. They have gotten better and better in the last couple years, and we are certainly looking forward to a great match.”

Mainz said the Tide will be ready for the challenge.

“We are not going to treat this match any differently,” Mainz said. “We are going to get up and prepare the same way we do for every match, and we are going to be ready to compete and fight.”