Hudson Lifts Hogs Past Missouri
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Behind a three-set win from senior co-captain Shannon Hudson, No. 17 Arkansas opened Southeastern Conference play with a 4-3 victory against Missouri at George M. Billingsley Tennis Center on Friday.
With the team score tied 3-3, Hudson cruised to a 6-1 victory in a third set at No. 1 singles to take the match, 7-6 (4), 4-6, 6-1, and clinch the team victory for the Razorbacks.
“Yet another clutch performance from Shannon tonight,” head coach Michael Hegarty said. “She’s been doing that for four years in big moments, and we couldn’t be more proud of her.”
The Razorbacks (10-2, 1-0 SEC) won the doubles point for the seventh straight match and picked up three victories in singles to top the Tigers (9-3, 0-1 SEC) and secure their seventh consecutive team win.
Hudson and freshman Giulia Pairone struck first in doubles with a 6-2 win at the No. 1 position. Freshman Natsuho Arakawa and junior Léolia Jeanjean followed with a 6-4 victory at No. 2, giving the Razorbacks a 1-0 advantage.
In singles, Jeanjean was first off the court, easing past her opponent 6-0, 6-1 at the No. 3 position. Pairone extended the lead to 3-0 with a 6-1, 6-1 win at No. 5. Missouri battled back to tie 3-3 with wins at the No. 4, 2 and 6 spots, respectively, before Hudson delivered the match-clinching victory.
Hudson, who is ranked No. 63 nationally in singles, earned her fourth straight win and pushed her dual-match record to 8-2.
Arkansas defeated Missouri for the second straight season and improved to 7-3 in the all-time series.
Up Next
The Razorbacks will host LSU on March 10 at 6 p.m., and No. 20 Texas A&M on March 12 at 1 p.m.
For more information on Arkansas Women’s Tennis, follow @RazorbackWTEN on Twitter.
