Razorbacks drop close match to Cowgirls

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. - The University of Arkansas women's tennis team dropped another tight match, falling 4-3 on the road to Oklahoma State at The Greens Country Club. The Razorbacks earned the doubles point with two victories, and got singles wins from Claudine Paulson and Ana Lorena Belmar Hernandez, but fell just short and dropped to 4-3 on the season.

"We couldn't bring the great momentum from doubles into singles play," Arkansas head coach Michael Hegarty said. "That was disappointing. We dug a hole by losing the first five sets in singles. To our credit, we fought back and were in position to win. Credit goes to Oklahoma State for closing it out."

Arkansas got the match off to a good start with some strong doubles play. Yang Pang and Brittany Huxley were first to finish, knocking off Oklahoma State's duo of Blevins and Guttormsen 8-3. At No. 1 doubles, the team of the senior Paulson and freshman Segou Jonker dropped their first doubles match of the season in an 8-4 decision to Rose and Nartattana. That left the doubles point up to the duo of Kimberley-Ann Surin and Sarah McLean, and they got the Razorbacks off on the right foot by earning an 8-6 win to clinch the doubles point.

Oklahoma State evened the match at No. 3 singles, when McLean fell to C.C. Sardinha 6-0, 6-3. Belmar Hernandez got Arkansas back on top, disposing of Karyn Guttormsen in two sets, 7-6 (0), 6-1.

The Cowgirls evened the score again, as the freshman Huxley dropped a 7-5, 6-0 decision to the Cowgirls' Narattana. Oklahoma State took the lead at No. 1 singles, as Pang fell 7-5, 6-4 to Malika Rose, and clinched the match as Surin dropped a tight match to Maria Alvarez, 7-5, 7-5.

In the final match of the day, Claudine Paulson secured one last victory for the Razorbacks in an epic duel. Facing Oklahoma State's Meghan Blevins, Paulson earned the win in the tiebreaker of the second set, winning 6-7, 7-6, 1-0 (8).

The Razorbacks are back in action next Sunday when they hit the road to face Oklahoma. First serve against the Sooners is at 12 p.m.

No. 42 Oklahoma State 4, No. 37 Arkansas 3
Complete Singles Results
No. 1 - Malika Rose (OSU) def. Yang Pang (UA) 7-5, 6-4
No. 2 - Claudine Paulson (UA) def. Meghan Blevins (OSU) 6-7, 7-6, 1-0 (8)
No. 3 - C.C. Sardinha (OSU) def. Sarah McLean (UA) 6-0, 6-3
No. 4 - Maria Alvarez (OSU) def. Kimberley Ann-Surin (UA) 7-5, 7-5
No. 5 - Kanyapat Narattana (OSU) def. Brittany Huxley (UA) 7-5, 6-0
No. 6 - Ana Lorena Belmar Hernandez (UA) def. Karyn Guttormsen (OSU) 7-6 (0), 6-1

Complete Doubles Results
No. 1 - Malika Rose/Kanyapat Narattana (OSU) def. Claudine Paulson/ Segou Jonker (UA) 8-4
No. 2 - Yang Pang/Brittany Huxley (UA) def. Meghan Blevins/Karyn Guttormsen (OSU) 8-3
No. 3 - Kimberley-Ann Surin/Sarah McLean (UA) def. Maria Alvarez/Lorena Gheorghe (OSU) 8-6