Okutoyi delivers Auburn University to crucial win in the US

Kenya’s tennis ace Angella Okutoyi helped Auburn pick up their second win of the season in dramatic fashion after leading the team to a 4-3 victory over Ole Miss.

With the match tied at three, freshman Okutoyi held her nerves as she claimed a win on court five that required a tiebreaker in the final set to deliver the Tigers to a team victory after seeing off Reka Zadori in the game-deciding match.

The clash was the only match that required a third set, as Okutoyi had claimed the first set 6-4 and dropped the second set 7-5 after having an opportunity to win the match during the second set.

In the decider, Zadori jumped out to a 4-2 lead during the match deciding set before Okutoyi pulled it back to 4-4. Each player earned another two games to tie the set again at 6-6, forcing a tiebreaker to decide the match.

 With the momentum after just winning the most recent game to force the tiebreaker, the Auburn freshman took the tiebreaker 7-2 and gave Auburn the 4-3 team victory and its sixth consecutive victory.

"What a college match!" Auburn Head Coach Caroline Lilley said after the thrilling finish.

"Ole Miss made us better today and fought incredibly hard. Tennis is a game of momentum, and knowing how to manage time between points is a big part of the battle.

Our sustained aggressive tennis only improves as the match progresses when we choose to treat ourselves right. We compete, we learn, we grow, and we press on with conviction," she said.

Auburn got off to a quick lead on court one and court three to begin doubles play.

Ariana Arseneault and Carolyn Ansari won court one in dominating fashion by a 6-1 score.. Ole Miss took the lead on court two, but the Auburn freshman duo of Kaitlyn Carnicella and DJ Bennett took court three by a 6-4 score to claim the doubles point for the Tigers.

After Auburn claimed a couple of quick two set victories, the Rebels responded with a couple of two set victories of their own to close the gap.

Rachel Krzyzak defeated Adeline Flach 6-1, 6-3 on court six and Ludmila Kareisova snapped Carolyn Ansari's nine match singles winning streak with a 7-6 (4), 6-1 win on court two.

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Freshman Kaitlyn Carnicella was locked in a very close match with Ole Miss' Lillian Gabrielsen on court three where she lost the first set in a tiebreaker 7-6 (1) and dropped the second set 7-5. This win brought the match to a tie at 3-3 and left the matchup to the game-deciding match which Okutoyi won.

The Tigers will continue their home conference slate on Sunday against Mississippi State.

Additional reporting by Auburn