No. 18 Hogs To Wrap Up Regular Season
Live Stats at Alabama | Live Stats at Auburn | Live Video at Auburn
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The No. 18 Arkansas women’s tennis team will wrap up its regular-season slate this weekend with road matches at Alabama and No. 11 Auburn.
The Razorbacks (15-8, 5-6 Southeastern Conference) are set to play the Crimson Tide (8-13, 2-9 SEC) at 4 p.m. Friday before taking on the Tigers (20-8, 4-7 SEC) at noon Sunday.
In The Rankings
The Razorbacks came in at No. 18 in the latest edition of the Oracle/ITA Collegiate Tennis Division I Women’s National Rankings, earning a spot in the top 20 for the seventh straight week. Individually senior co-captain Shannon Hudson is tops on the team with a No. 49 ranking in singles. Sophomore Ana Oparenovic is ranked No. 92, while junior Léolia Jeanjean is No. 114. In addition, Hudson and freshman Giulia Pairone own a No. 37 ranking in doubles. Arkansas is one of five schools in the SEC with both at least three players ranked in singles and at least one duo ranked in doubles.
Storybook Senior Day
Hudson added another memorable moment to her career last Sunday. And it was only fitting that it came on Senior Day at George M. Billingsley Tennis Center, where she propelled the Razorbacks to a 4-3 victory over No. 24 Tennessee with her three-set match-clinching win at the top singles spot. With the first two sets split, Hudson won a no-ad point to break Tennessee’s No. 58-ranked Brittany Lindl for a 5-4 lead and then held serve to close out the 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 win, clinching the team victory at 4-2. Arkansas was awarded a 4-3 victory because two match-point balls were in the air at the same time. Hudson’s victory edged by a few seconds Tennessee’s 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 win from Ariadna Riley over Arkansas junior Mia Jurasic at No. 4. The team win was the second straight for the Razorbacks over the Volunteers.
Double-Digit Singles Wins
Arkansas, Auburn and top-ranked Florida are the only schools in the SEC to have five players with double-digit singles wins this spring. For the Razorbacks, Jeanjean (15), Pairone (13), freshman Natsuho Arakawa (12), Jurasic (11) and Hudson (11) have each posted 11 or more victories to help the team total a 79-43 mark.
Looking Back
Last season in Fayetteville, the Razorbacks defeated Alabama 4-3 and then-No. 15 Auburn 6-1. The Razorbacks own a 19-17 advantage all-time against the Tigers, while the Crimson Tide hold an 18-14 edge over the Razorbacks.
Up Next
Following Sunday’s match, Arkansas will turn its attention to the 2017 SEC Championship, which is set for April 19-23, in Nashville, Tennessee. The Razorbacks will learn their seeding on Sunday.
