Lady'Backs gear up for 2008 season opener this weekend

FAYETTEVILLE – Looking for an upset, the University of Arkansas Lady Razorback tennis team opens the 2008 season in Provo, Utah against the Brigham Young Cougars, 1-1, on Saturday.

Arkansas enters the match ranked No. 53 by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association while BYU stands at No. 28 in the rankings.

The Lady’Backs will then head to Salt Lake City on Sunday to face-off against Utah in what will be the Utes first team match of the season.

“Playing on the road always provides toughness early in the season,” said Arkansas head coach Michael Hegarty. Both are quality regional opponents, and we expect two heavily competitive matches this weekend.”

Hegarty has experienced a very eventful week as he and his wife, Mary, welcomed the newest member of the Lady’Back family, Theo Bruce Hegarty, into the world on Monday, while also gearing up for his fifth season at the helm of the tennis program.

The Lady’Backs will be looking to win their second ever match against the Cougars as the all-time record is in BYU’s favor, 3-1, while Arkansas leads the all-time series, 1-0, against Utah.

Arkansas is led by No. 1 ranked singles player, Aurelija Miseviciute. She teams with Ela Kaluder in doubles producing the No. 12 ranked duo. Maryori Franco and Nanar Airapetian are also ranked in doubles at No. 44. BYU nor Utah has any players currently ranked by the ITA.

The BYU match is set for 1:00 p.m. Saturday, while the Utah match is slated for 11:00 a.m. on Sunday. All results will be on LADYBACKS.COM immediately following the match.