No. 15 Hogs Off To Best Start In Program History
OXFORD, Miss. – No. 15 Arkansas continued its winning ways with a 4-0 victory over No. 25 Ole Miss on Friday at Palmer/Salloum Tennis Center.
With the victory, Arkansas (13-2, 4-0 Southeastern Conference) earned its best start to a season in program history and matched a program record with 10 straight wins. It’s also the program’s best ever start in SEC play.
“Every road win in the SEC means you did some really great things, and today was no different,” head coach Michael Hegarty said. “We hung tough through a great doubles point, and seemed to gain strength the longer the singles progressed.”
Arkansas gained the early momentum by winning a tight doubles point that came down to a tiebreaker in the No. 2 match. The Razorback duo of junior Mia Jurasic and sophomore Ana Oparenovic outlasted Rebels Natalie Suk and Alexa Bortles 7-6 (10-8) to give the team the early 1-0 advantage.
Ole Miss had struck first with a 6-4 win at No. 3. But Arkansas’ No. 1 team of senior co-captain Shannon Hudson and freshman Giulia Pairone responded with a 7-5 decision. Facing a 5-4 deficit, the pair fought off a couple of match points to hold and went on to win the next two games to set up the clincher for Jurasic and Oparenovic. It marked Arkansas’ 10th straight doubles point and 13th overall this season.
In singles, the Razorbacks picked up four straight wins in straight sets to secure the 4-0 victory.
Jurasic bested her opponent 6-2, 6-1 at No. 4 to give Arkansas a 2-0 lead. Pairone followed with a 6-3, 6-2 win at No. 5 for a 3-0 Razorback advantage. Junior Léolia Jeanjean clinched the 4-0 victory with a 6-4, 6-3 decision at No. 3.
Jeanjean bettered her dual-match record to a team-best 12-1, while Jurasic and Pairone improved to 8-4 and 8-1, respectively.
Play on the remaining courts was suspended after the clinch.
The Razorbacks and Vanderbilt (9-4, 4-0 SEC) are the only two teams still unbeaten in SEC play.
Up Next
Arkansas will take on Mississippi State at 1 p.m. Sunday in Starkville.
