In a sudden change of course Sunday afternoon, athletics director John Cohen announced Auburn would be “parting ways” from women’s tennis coach Caroline Lilley in a decision that would be effective immediately.

Lilley’s ousting comes at a questionable time as 14th-ranked Auburn is in the middle of its season and coming off a big win in Durham, N.C., where Auburn topped 15th-ranked Duke on Saturday, punching the Tigers’ ticket to the ITA Indoor Championships.

By Sunday afternoon, Lilley’s name and image had already been removed from the team’s page on Auburn’s website.

Moving forward, with plenty left in the program’s spring schedule, Auburn’s women’s tennis team will be piloted via a shared effort between members of the men’s and women’s tennis staffs.

“The program will be under the direction of members of the men’s and women’s tennis staff on an interim basis, as the search for a permanent replacement begins,” Cohen said Sunday. “We will work closely with members of our tennis staff to ensure they have all the resources necessary to support our student athletes throughout the remainder of the 2024 season.”

Lilley was hired to lead the Tigers’ women’s program in 2019 and helped guide Auburn to the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet Sixteen in the last two seasons.