At first, Melissa Koning didn’t know what to make of the phone call.

Koning, a sophomore on the Auburn tennis team, knew it was teammate Alex Haney on the line. And Haney clearly had some good news to share.

But exactly what it was wasn’t clear.

“I could hardly understand her,” Koning said. “She was so excited — it was great.”

Haney, Koning’s partner on Auburn’s No. 1 doubles pair, had big news. The duo had earned All-America honors from the Intercollegiate Tennis Association, along with teammate Fani Chifchieva.

It was a big step for Auburn’s tennis program. In the program’s 31-year history, the Tigers have had just one other All-America: Chifchieva, last season.

A week after the announcement, Haney is still excited.

“I can’t help it,” she said with a laugh. “I’d set that as one of my goals for the year. I knew that was going to be very tough, but I did it, and I’m so excited.

“It’s something I’ve dreamed about since I was a little girl, watching sports with my dad.”

Haney and Koning advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament doubles bracket and finished the season ranked No. 10 nationally, the highest-ever ranking for an Auburn doubles team.

Chifchieva, the Southeastern Conference Player of the Year, advanced to the semifinals of the NCAA Tournament and finished the season ranked No. 11 nationally.

The accolades are especially satisfying to third-year head coach Tim Gray, who has turned around a program that went 0-12 in SEC play in his first season.

One of Gray’s first actions when he arrived at Auburn in 2005 was to hang a framed poster in his office. It’s a sketch of the skyline of Auburn’s campus, with a simple message printed at the bottom: A New Day in Auburn.

“That was the mentality I came in with,” he said. “We wanted to turn the program upside down. Having the first All-American last year was a sign that it was a new day in Auburn.

“I was just thrilled last year and I’m speechless this year.”

Of course, no one connected to the Auburn tennis team is satisfied. The awards and recognition are just a start. But the Tigers’ goals are titles, not awards.

“Auburn women’s tennis has come a long way in two years,” Koning said. “Coach Gray has brought Auburn women’s tennis so far, helped us so much.

“It really means a lot to be part of building such a strong foundation.”

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