Headed to Norman for NCAA

FAYETTEVILLE – The No. 24 Razorback women’s tennis team was selected to play in the 2010 NCAA Women’s Tennis Tournament on Tuesday afternoon. As a result of their selection, the Hogs will travel to Norman, Okla., next week to face No. 42 Oklahoma. If the Razorbacks win that match, they will move on to play the winner of Wichita St. and one seed, Texas. Arkansas recently played in the SEC Tournament in Athens, Ga. where they posted a 1-1 record, notching a win over No. 57 Auburn. "We’re looking forward to playing a very good Oklahoma team as well as possibly a good Texas team," said head coach Michael Hegarty. "Going back to the old Southwestern Conference days, these are two teams with two huge traditions, but we’re hoping for a big turnout of Razorback fans in Norman in hopes of helping us back to the Sweet 16."The tennis team played Oklahoma earlier this season as their final tune-up before conference play. In that match, the Hogs scored a 6-1 victory behind the tough doubles play of junior Anouk Tigu and freshman Claudine Paulson, who defeated the No. 29 doubles team at the time, Ana-Maria Constantinescu and Teona Tsertsvadze, 9-7. The Razorbacks went on to win five of six singles matches for the victory.Overall in the tournament, the Razorbacks have posted a 5-3 record under Hegarty, including a run last year to the Sweet 16, where they lost to eventual champion Duke by a score of 4-2. Also representing the SEC in the tournament is Georgia, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, South Carolina, Florida, and Ole Miss with the number one overall seed going to Baylor. "It was a really good draw today," said Hegarty. "There were not a whole lot of surprises. The teams with the high RPI that we thought would get in, did get in. We knew there was a good chance we could go to Norman, based on location, so we’re definitely looking forward to it."The team’s first match against Oklahoma will be on Friday, May 14 on the University of Oklahoma campus.