No. 11 Kentucky Edges Past No. 18 Arkansas

LEXINGTON, Ky. – No. 18 Arkansas fell 4-2 at No. 11 Kentucky on Friday.

Due to rain in the area, the match was played indoors at the Boone Indoor Center, which features four competition courts.

After Kentucky took the doubles point, the Razorbacks (14-6, 4-4 Southeastern Conference) responded in singles with victories at the No. 2 and No. 4 spots for a 2-1 lead. But the Wildcats (14-3, 6-2 SEC) battled back with tough three-set wins at No. 1 and No. 3 and then a straight-sets victory at No. 5 to clinch the team victory.

“Lots of credit to both teams tonight,” head coach Michael Hegarty said. “We obviously didn’t get the start we needed, but I was extremely proud of how the team dug it’s way back into the match and put itself into a winning position.”

In doubles, freshman Natsuho Arakawa and junior Léolia Jeanjean led 4-3 at No. 3, but Kentucky posted victories at No. 1 and No. 2 to gain the early edge.

With only four courts indoors, the top four matches began singles play.

Arkansas tied the team score 1-1 when sophomore No. 115 Ana Oparenovic defeated Kentucky’s No. 125 Akvile Parazinskaite 6-3, 6-4 at No. 2 singles.

Freshman Giulia Pairone gave the Razorbacks a 2-1 lead with a three-set win at No. 4. After falling a set behind, Pairone dominated in the second and third sets, winning 12 of the next 15 games for a 1-6, 6-2, 6-1 victory.

Kentucky won 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 at No. 1 and earned a 5-7, 6-2, 6-2 victory at No. 3 to take a 3-2 lead. The Wildcats then went on to close out a 6-3, 6-2 win at No. 5, which clinched the 4-2 team victory. Play at No. 6 went unfinished.

Up Next
The Razorbacks will take on No. 5 Vanderbilt at 1 p.m. Sunday in Nashville, Tennessee.