Arkansas Netters Take Down Kangaroos 5-2
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The No. 41 Razorback tennis team took a break from its conference schedule Wednesday with a 5-2 victory over UMKC at the Dills Indoor Tennis Stadium. Arkansas (12-11, 3-7) opened the scoring by sweeping the doubles point and sealed the match with wins at No. 1, 2, 5 and 6 singles.
At No. 1 doubles, Matt Hogan and Blake Strode topped the UMKC team of Serge Ristivojevic and Patrick Smith, 8-3. The Razorbacks clinched the doubles point when Branden Joost and Jorge Villanueva beat Nick Mader and Nick Patonai, 8-4, on court three. Arkansas completed the doubles sweep with an 8-5 win by Colin Mascall and Tyler Tarnasky at the No. 2 spot.
Strode, the 99th-ranked player in the nation, dropped just one game in his match and rolled past Ristivojevic, 6-1, 6-0, at No. 1 singles to give UA a 2-0 lead. Strode has now won 70 career matches during his Razorback career. On court six, Joost picked up a straight-sets victory over Patonai, 6-1, 6-3. The win stretched the Arkansas lead to 3-0.
Junior Connor Smith clinched the match for the Razorbacks with a 6-1, 6-0 win at No. 5 singles over Mader. A win on court two by Mascall gave the Razorbacks’ their fifth point of the dual. The Victoria, British Columbia, native beat Smith, 6-3, 6-4.
On court three, Bradwin Williams jumped out to an early lead against Dennis Schwarz by winning the first set, but Schwarz took the second to force a super tiebreak for the match. Schwarz won the match, 2-6, 6-4, 1-0(8) to put UMKC (4-8, 2-2) on the board.
The Kangaroos wrapped the scoring with a win at No. 4 singles by Erwin Quintanilla who beat Nick Spinazze,6-7(4), 6-4, 1-0(7). Spinazze rallied from a 5-2 deficit to win the first set, but couldn’t hold to the advantage.
Arkansas will return to action Saturday in its regular-season finale against No. 17 LSU. First serve is scheduled for 12 p.m. Log on to www.hogwired.com for more news about Razorback tennis.
#41 Arkansas 5, UMKC 2
April 9, 2008
Fayetteville, Ark.
Singles
1. #99 Blake Strode (UA) def. Serge Ristivojevic (UMKC), 6-1, 6-0
2. Colin Mascall (UA) def. Patrick Smith (UMKC), 6-3, 6-4
3. Dennis Schwarz (UMKC) def. Bradwin Williams (UA), 2-6, 6-4, 1-0(8)
4. Erwin Quintanilla (UMKC) def. Nick Spinazze (UA), 6-7(4), 6-4, 1-0(7)
*5. Connor Smith (UA) def. Nick Mader (UMKC), 6-1, 6-0
6. Branden Joost (UA) def. Nick Patonai (UMKC), 6-1, 6-3
Doubles
1. Matt Hogan/Blake Strode (UA) def. Serge Ristivojevic/Patrick Smith (UMKC), 8-3
2. Colin Mascall/Tyler Tarnasky (UA) def. Erwin Quintanilla/Dennis Schwarz (UMKC), 8-5
3. Branden Joost/Jorge Villanueva (UA) def. Nick Mader/Nick Patonai (UMKC), 8-4
Order of Finish: Doubles (1, 3, 2); Singles (1, 6, *5, 2, 3, 4)
* – clinching match
