Lady'Backs strong in day one of Collegiate Classic

Flushing, N.Y.—The University of Arkansas women’s tennis team finished the first day of the USTA Collegiate Classic strong, finishing 8-8 in singles competition and 2-2 in the first round of doubles action on Saturday in Flushing, N.Y. Eight Lady Razorbacks competed in two singles matches each on Saturday to capture their 50th singles win in 82 chances this fall while representing four of the five singles flights. The Lady’Backs’ added 10 wins to their fall record, which now stands at 67-38. “It was a really strong day in a lot of ways,” said head coach Michael Hegarty. “We are not quite getting it from everywhere yet, but we looked like we are soon to produce a full scale performance as a team.” Freshman Maryori Franco and Junior Vlatka Jovanovic combined for a 3-1effort in singles Flight A. Franco garnered her seventh and eighth singles wins, first against Penn State’s Maria Hussain 6-3, 6-3. In her second match, Franco narrowly lost the first set to Dartmouth’s Jayme Ahmed 5-7, but rallied back in the second to win 6-3. Due to time constraints, the match was forced into a 10-point super tiebreaker. A back-and-forth battle ensued, with Franco emerging as victor, 10-8. Jovanovic went 1-1 in her singles matches, first falling to Harvard’s Elsa O’Riain, 7-5, 6-3. In her second match, Jovanovic blanked Dartmouth’s Sarah McNally 6-0, 6-0 for her eighth singles victory this fall. The Lady’Backs fought tough in Flight B, but could not seal a victory in the competitive flight on Saturday. Freshman Yawna Allen first fell to Penn’s Raluca Ciochina 6-3, 6-2. The same score plagued Allen in her second match as well, falling to Dartmouth’s Margaret Fitchet 6-3, 6-2. Iliana Pacheco fell to Kentucky’s Christine Simpson in her first match, 6-2, 7-6. Princeton’s Allison Hashmall defeated the Arkansas senior in her second match, 6-3, 6-3. Flight C produced better results, with Karina Ledaja and Melissa Cornett each tallying a win. Ledaja captured a win against Tennessee’s Daron Moore in a competitive Southeastern Conference battle, 7-6, 6-2. In her second match, Ledaja lost the first set to North Carolina’s Jenna Long 6-2. Ledaja rallied back in the second set, but could not nail down the win in an 11-9 tiebreaker loss to the competitive Long. Cornett lost her first match to Kentucky’s Emily Foster 6-1, 6-3, but tallied a victory in her second match against Boston’s Monica Shepherd in a 6-3, 6-2. The victory gives Cornett her fourth win this fall. The Lady’Backs went 3-1 in Flight D action with two of those wins coming from senior Whitney Morton. Morton captured a victory over Yale’s Olivia Nix, 6-2, 6-2. Morton was up 3-2 in her second match against Dartmouth’s Megan Zebroski when Zebroski retired to give Morton the victory. Audrey Bordeleau split her Saturday matches, first by blanking Yale’s Catherine Starr 6-0, 6-0. Bordeleau lost the first set of her second match to Kentucky’s Caroline Winebrenner, 6-2, but battled back to even the score at 1-1 with a 6-4 second set win. The match was forced to a super tiebreaker where Winebrenner squeaked away with a victory, 10-8. In the first round of doubles play in Flight A, Cornett and Jovanovic notched their fifth victory together over Cornell’s Evinson and Kokuvo, 8-5. Franco and Allen lost in their first match to Kentucky’s Foster and Maurer, 8-4. In doubles Flight B, Ledaja and Bordeleau competed together for the second straight weekend in an 8-6 victory over Penn’s Listritto and Williams. Senior team Morton and Pacheco fell in a nail-biting tiebreaker to N.C. State’s Roach and Romero 7-5 for a 9-8 loss. Franco and Morton’s singles quarterfinal matches in Flights A and D, respectively, highlight the Arkansas match lineup on Sunday. “Sunday is another huge opportunity for us to make a statement,” Hegarty said. For more information, please visit www.ladybacks.com. USTA Collegiate Classic- Day One Results- Saturday, October 09, 2004Flight AMaryori Franco (Arkansas) def. Maria Hussain (Penn St.) 6-3, 6-3Maryori Franco (Arkansas) def. Jayme Ahmed (Dartmouth) 5-7, 6-3, 10-8Elsa O’Riain (Harvard) def. Vlatka Jovanovic (Arkansas) 7-5, 6-1Vlatka Jovanovic (Arkansas) def. Sarah McNally (Darmouth) 6-0, 6-0Flight BRaluca Ciochina (Penn) def. Yawna Allen (Arkansas) 6-3, 6-2Margaret Fitchet (Dartmouth) def. Yawna Allen (Arkansas) 6-3, 6-2Christine Simpson (Kentucky) def. Iliana Pacheco (Arkansas) 6-2, 7-6Allison Hashmall (Princeton) def. Iliana Pacheco (Arkansas) 6-3, 6-3Flight CKarina Ledaja (Arkansas) def. Daron Moore (Tennessee) 7-6, 6-2Jenna Long (UNC-Chapel Hill) def. Karina Ledaja (Arkansas) 6-3, 7-6(11-9) Emily Foster (Kentucky) def. Melissa Cornett (Arkansas) 6-1, 6-3Melissa Cornett (Arkansas) def. Monica Shepherd (Boston) 6-3, 6-2Flight DWhitney Morton (Arkansas) def. Olivia Nix (Yale) 6-2, 6-2Whitney Morton (Arkansas) def. Megan Zebroski (Dartmouth) 3-2, retiredAudrey Bordeleau (Arkansas) def. Catherine Starr (Yale) 6-0, 6-0Caroline Winebrenner (Kentucky) def. Audrey Bordeleau (Arkansas) 2-6, 6-4, 10-8DoublesFlight ACornett/Jovanovic (Arkansas) def. Evinson/Kokuvo (Cornell) 8-5Foster/Maurer (Kentucky) def. Allen/Franco (Arkansas) 8-4Flight BLedaja/Bordeleau (Arkansas) def. Listritto/Williams (Penn) 8-6Roach/ Romero (N.C. St.) def. Pacheco/Morton (Arkansas) 9-8 (5)