Ledaja sweeps weekend Georgia wins

FAYETTEVILLE—Junior transfer Karina Ledaja won her second straight conference match in singles, but the No. 3 Georgia Bulldogs built an early lead and held on for a 6-1 win over the University of Arkansas women’s tennis team on Sunday afternoon at the Dills Indoor Tennis Center. With the loss, the Lady Razorbacks slide to 10-4 overall this season while Georgia improves to 10-1 and 4-0 in Southeastern Conference play. The Bulldogs only loss this year came in the semifinal round of ITA National Indoor Tournament against the top-ranked Stanford Cardinal. Since that match, Georgia had not lost a regular season match until April of last year against #21 Kentucky. “I was extremely proud of our team’s competitive spirit today,” said Arkansas assistant coach Jon McLaughlin. “We were highly involved in every match and did not back down from one of the top teams in the nation.” In singles, Ledaja paced the Lady’Backs with a quick 6-3 win over Georgia’s Jitka Schonfeldova. In the second set, Schonfeldova played several long rallies to tie the score at one, two, three and four before winning the set, 6-4. Ledaja caught a second wind in the third set by jumping out to a 3-0 lead. Schonfeldova evened the match at three games each, but it was all she could handle as Ledaja continued to pound the ball down the line and cross-court to win the set and match, 6-3. The win is Ledaja’s 10th this spring and builds her team leading record for 2004-05 to 22-6. “Karina’s ability to focus on the little things that it takes to beat a great player was as good as I have seen all year.” McLaughlin said. “It’s a great step in the right direction for not only her but the team as a whole.” Maryori Franco’s match on court two turned into a dogfight after Franco dropped the first set, 6-3, to #26 Natalie Frazier. In the second set, Franco found herself down 0-4 before battling back to win six of the next seven games to take a 6-5 lead. In those six games won, Franco rejected numerous match point attempts from Frazier to take control. The match was pushed to tiebreaker in the 12th game of the set, which began with a 6-1 run by Frazier. Franco won six unanswered points to tie the score, but Frazier quickly won the next two to win the set and match. In doubles, Vlatka Jovanovic and Melissa Cornett saw action on court two in hope of winning their second SEC match of the weekend. The pair jumped out to 3-0 lead, but Georgia’s Kelley Hyndman and Evgenia Subbotina battled back to even the score at four games apiece. Arkansas took a 7-6 lead and looked to have the match in hand until the competition was forced into a tiebreaker after two Georgia wins on courts one and three. Georgia’s Hyndman and Subbotina controlled the net in the tiebreaker to give Georgia a win, 8-7(1). “These matches against eastern division teams have been extremely beneficial in preparation for our big matches against the West. The schedule is what it is and we have done a great job of using these matches to our advantage.” McLaughlin said. The Lady’Backs take a break from conference play as they travel California for a March 22 match against the University of California at Santa Barbara. For more information on Arkansas tennis or any other Lady Razorback sport, please visit www.ladybacks.com.Tennis Match ResultsGeorgia vs University of ArkansasMar 13, 2005 at Fayetteville, ArkansasGeorgia 6, University of Arkansas 1Singles competition: 1. Shadisha Robinson (UGA) def. Vlatka Jovanovic (UA) 7-6(6), 6-22. Natalie Frazier (UGA) def. Maryori Franco (UA) 6-3, 7-6(6)3. Kelley Hyndman (UGA) def. Iliana Pacheco (UA) 6-2, 6-14. Caroline Basu (UGA) def. Yawna Allen (UA) 6-7(4), 6-1, 1-0(7)5. Evgenia Subbotina (UGA) def. Melissa Cornett (UA) 6-2, 6-46. Karina Ledaja (UA) def. Jitka Schonfeldova (UGA) 6-3, 4-6, 6-3Doubles competition: 1. Shadisha Robinson/Caroline Basu (UGA) def. Maryori Franco/Karina Ledaja (UA) 8-32. Kelley Hyndman/Evgenia Subbotina (UGA) def. Melissa Cornett/Vlatka Jovanovic (UA) 8-7(1)3. Jitka Schonfeldova/Natalie Frazier (UGA) def. Yawna Allen/Audrey Bordeleau (UA) 8-3Notes: Time: 4 hoursAttendance: 45