Hogs ready for second slate of SEC play

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – After being on the road for its first two conference matches of the season, the University of Arkansas men’s tennis team will play its next round at home against Mississippi State and Ole Miss.

Following two tough losses last weekend against the No. 11-ranked Florida Gators and the South Carolina Gamecocks, the Hogs moved up seven spots to No. 62 in the latest ITA polls.

"We played some good tennis against Florida," said head coach Robert Cox. "We had some good situations and opportunities; we just aren’t finishing them out right now."

The Razorbacks (3-7, 0-2 SEC) will have their second batch of conference play this weekend, first against the Mississippi State Bulldogs on Friday at 1 p.m. In their first weekend of conference play, the Bulldogs went 1-1. They defeated then-No. 22-ranked Vanderbilt, which boosted Mississippi State’s ranking to its current position at No. 38 in the ITA polls. The Bulldogs are 5-5 on the season.

The Hog’s second match of the weekend will be against No. 22 Ole Miss. Due to a time change, the match will begin at noon instead of 1 p.m. on Sunday. Ole Miss is 6-3 on the season and ranked No. 22. The Rebels also went 1-1 in their first weekend of conference play. They first fell to No. 12 Kentucky and then swept No. 22 Vanderbilt, 4-0.

"I love this team, they are all such great guys and easy to coach," said Cox. "We are going to be alright."

Arkansas is led by the No. 66-ranked doubles team of Nikolas Zogaj and Mike Ward, who are 7-2 (1-1) for the season. Matt Hogan and Matt Walters also lead the Hogs in dual match singles wins, both with five a piece.

For more information about the Razorback tennis team, log on to www.ArkansasRazorbacks.com.