No. 18 Hogs Set For Showdown With No. 1 Florida

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The stage is set for a top 20 showdown as No. 18 Arkansas returns home to host No. 1 Florida on Friday for a chance at the top spot in the Southeastern Conference standings.

First serve is set for 6 p.m. at George M. Billingsley Tennis Center. Live scoring of the match will be available here.

Winners of 11 of their last 12 matches, Arkansas is 14-3 overall with a 4-1 mark in SEC action. The Razorbacks are coming off a 6-1 victory at No. 32 Tulsa on Wednesday. After splitting a pair of conference contests last weekend, Florida enters Friday’s match at 14-1 overall and 4-1 in SEC play.

Arkansas last beat the Gators in 2009, a 4-0 win in Fayetteville. The No. 15 Razorbacks won the doubles point and then followed with singles victories at the No. 4, No. 6 and No. 1 spots to top the No. 16 Gators.

In The Rankings
The Razorbacks earned a spot in the top 20 of the national team rankings for the fourth straight week. Individually, senior co-captain Shannon Hudson jumped 16 spots to No. 48 in the singles rankings, while sophomore Ana Oparenovic checked in at No. 115 and junior Léolia Jeanjean entered at No. 121. The duo of Hudson and freshman Giulia Pairone surged into the doubles rankings at No. 38. Arkansas is one of six schools in the SEC with at least three players ranked in singles and at least one duo ranked in doubles.

Hudson Shining In Senior Season
The SEC’s only two-time player of the week this spring, Hudson is in the midst of a stellar senior campaign. The Virginia Beach, Virginia, native has a 10-3 record at No. 1 singles, including three wins against top 50 opponents, and an 8-1 mark at the top doubles spot alongside Pairone.

Jeanjean Among SEC Leaders
Jeanjean, who has competed at the No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4 positions this spring, owns a nine-match singles win streak and a team-best 13-1 record. Her 13 dual-match victories are tied for second-most in the SEC.

Freshman Success
The rookie duo of Pairone and Natsuho Arakawa has combined to post a 21-4 dual-match singles record. Pairone has a 10-1 mark, while Arakawa is 11-3. Arkansas and No. 11 Auburn are the only two schools in the SEC to have multiple freshmen with 10 or more dual-match singles wins.

Doubles Dominance
Arkansas has been impressive in doubles play throughout the season, totaling a record of 30-13 and winning the doubles point in 14 of 17 matches.

Up Next
Following Friday’s match, the Razorbacks will welcome No. 24 South Carolina (11-5, 2-3 SEC) for an 11 a.m. match on Sunday. Live scoring will be available here.