Hogs Eager To Begin NCAA Journey
STILLWATER, Okla. – The Arkansas women’s tennis team opens its 2016 NCAA Division I Women’s Tennis Championship bid Friday against 2016 American Athletic Conference champion Tulsa at the Oklahoma State Regional.
First serve is slated for 10 a.m. CDT at the Michael and Anne Greenwood Tennis Center.
Arkansas is playing in its 14th NCAA Championship and owns a 16-12 mark in the Big Dance. This is the eighth appearance under head coach Michael Hegarty who is 8-6. The NCAA Championship field includes 14 teams Arkansas played during the regular season, including 10 from the Southeastern Conference.
The 33rd-ranked Razorbacks (16-13, 5-8) have defeated six teams in the current Intercollegiate Tennis Association national rankings, including No. 29 Wichita State, No. 11 Auburn and No. 19 Texas A&M. Arkansas also is 9-6 in matches away from home this season.
The Razorbacks hold a 24-5 advantage over the Golden Hurricane (21-4) in the all-time series, dating back to 1980. Tulsa won 6-1 in Fayetteville, Arkansas, earlier this season.
Friday’s winner will advance to play the victor between 12th-ranked host Oklahoma State (23-4) – who is the country’s No. 12 seed overall – and Albany (14-7) on Saturday in the second round. The winner of that match will earn a spot in the round of 16, which will be held May 19 in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Quotable
“We look forward to a very competitive matchup with Tulsa tomorrow. Both teams have improved throughout the course of the season, and I expect a high-quality match.” – Head coach Michael Hegarty
Awards Continue To Roll In
• Arkansas assistant coach Luc Godin was named ITA Central Region Assistant Coach of the Year on Monday.
• Yuliya Lysa was tabbed ITA Central Region Senior Player of the Year.
• Lysa previously earned All-SEC First Team honors on April 27.
• Freshman Ana Oparenovic was named to the SEC All-Freshman team.
Lysa Selected To NCAA Individual Championships
• For the second-straight year, Lysa has earned a bid to the singles championships.
• Also, Lysa and junior Shannon Hudson were selected as one of six alternates for the doubles championships.
• Lysa boasts a team-best nine dual-match singles victories in SEC play.
• Lysa has won seven of her last 10 matches.
• Lysa has defeated eight ranked opponents, including four in the top 25.
• Lysa is ranked 21st in the ITA singles rankings.
• The tandem of Lysa and Hudson are ranked 33rd in the doubles rankings.
Leading The Way
• Along with Lysa, the Razorbacks are paced in singles by sophomore Mia Jurasic and Oparenovic.
• Jurasic and Oparenovic have each tallied a team-best 14 dual-match singles wins.
• Jurasic is on a four-match win streak.
• The duo of Jurasic and Oparenovic also has tallied a team-best 14 dual-match doubles wins.
Live Coverage
Fans can follow all the action during the NCAA Championship with live video and live scoring.
Tickets
Tickets for the Stillwater Regional are available for $5, with students from Oklahoma State and visiting schools admitted for $3. All seats are general admission and there will be no complimentary tickets. Tickets can be purchased by calling 877-ALL-4-OSU or by visiting the ticket trailer at the Greenwood Tennis Center on competition days.
For more information on Arkansas Women’s Tennis, follow @RazorbackWTEN on Twitter.
