Lady'Backs take Magnolia State sweep with 4-3 win over Ole Miss
FAYETTEVILLE – A team effort was needed to push the University of Arkansas women’s tennis team past the University of Mississippi with a 4-3 win on Sunday afternoon. Sunday’s win marks the second straight year that the Lady Razorbacks have defeated both Mississippi schools.
The win gives the Lady’Backs their second straight Southeastern Conference win (2-6) and puts them above .500 with a 9-8 overall record in the 2007 season.
“Today’s match was another hard-fought one,” said Arkansas head coach Michael Hegarty. “While I’m happy with today’s win, I still think this team’s best tennis is still to come.”
The Lady’Backs won their second straight doubles point with Lady’Back wins on courts one and three. Sophomore Nanar Airapetian and junior Maryori Franco captured the first half of the doubles advantage with an 8-3 win over Nika Koukhartchouk and Kseniia Tokarieva. Franco and Airapetian’s win was followed by Sophomore Rachel Wilhelm and freshman Melissa Hoffmeister’s 8-4 victory over Rebels Preethi Subramanian and Carlin Cochran.
In singles, the Lady’Backs went up 2-0 on Ole Miss after Airapetian’s opponent, Ole Miss’s Tokarieva, defaulted early in the second set. Junior Audrey Bordeleau put the Lady’Backs on the brink with a 6-0, 6-2 win over Soledad Podlipnik.
Franco clinched the Sunday afternoon win in Arkansas’ favor with a 6-1, 6-0 pasting of Ole Miss’s Koukhartchouk.
“Today’s match also shows me that some real leadership is beginning to emerge on our team as well,” Hegarty said.
The Lady’Backs are back on the courts this weekend in a couple of Western Division matches away from Fayetteville. Arkansas travels to face Auburn on Friday, April 6th, then follws that match up with an April 8th meeting at Alabama on Easter Sunday.
For more information on Arkansas tennis or any other Lady Razorback sport, please visit LADYBACKS.com.
Tennis Match Results:
Arkansas 4, Ole Miss 3
April 1, 2007
Singles Results:
1. #97 Ilona Somers (OM) def. #25 Ela Kaluder (UA) 6-3, 7-5
2. Maryori Franco (UA) def. Nika Koukhartchouk 6-1, 6-0*
3. Nanar Airapetian (UA) def. Kseniia Tokarieva (OM) 6-1, 1-0, def.
4. Audrey Bordeleau (UA) def. Soledad Podlipnik (OM) 6-0, 6-2
5. Preethi Subramanian (OM) def. Rachel Wilhelm (UA) 6-1, 6-1
6. Carlin Cochran (OM) def. Melissa Hoffmeister (UA) 6-4, 4-6, 1-0(2)
Doubles Results:
1. Maryori Franco/Nanar Airapetian (UA) def. Kseniia Tokarieva/Nika Koukhartchouk (OM) 8-3
2. Ilona Somers/Soledad Podlipnik (OM) def. Audrey Bordeleau/Ela Kaluder (UA) 8-2
3. Melissa Hoffmeister/Rachel Wilhelm (UA) def. Preethi Subramanian/Carlin Cochran (OM) 8-2*
Order of Finish: 3,4,2,5,6,1 1,3,2
Clinched Point/Match
Match Time: 3 hrs. 30 min.
Attendance: 75
— LADY RAZORBACKS —
