No. 41 Hog Tennis Hosts Florida and South Carolina

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The No. 41 Arkansas men’s tennis team will play host to eighth-ranked Florida and No. 69 South Carolina this weekend at the George M. Billingsley Tennis Center in Fayetteville. Friday’s match against the Gators is scheduled for a 1 p.m. CT start, while the Arkansas-South Carolina match will begin at 12 p.m. CT on Sunday. Arkansas (10-8, 2-4) is on a two-match losing streaking after dropping a pair of decisions to Tennessee and Georgia in its last two matches.

The Razorbacks are led by No. 90 Blake Strode who has compiled a 15-13 record this season playing at the top singles position. Freshman Chris Nott has 19 wins this season and leads a group of four Arkansas netters, including Strode, with at least 15 victories. Sophomores Dmitry Lebedev and Bradwin Williams are second and third on the team with 18 and 16 wins, respectively.

Since joining the Southeastern Conference in 1992, Arkansas has defeated Florida just once in 16 head-to-head meetings. That win, a 5-4 victory in Fayetteville, came in the Razorbacks’ first year in the league. Last season, the Gators beat UA, 6-1, in Gainesville.

In their last outing, Florida (10-4, 5-1) defeated Mississippi State, 5-2. The Gators have the third-ranked player in the nation in senior Greg Ouellette who is 18-7 heading into the weekend. No. 53 Alex Lacroix is 15-9 during his freshman year at Florida.

The Razorbacks’ match-up with South Carolina (8-8, 0-6) will be the 18th conference meeting between the two teams. The Gamecocks hold a 10-7 advantage during that span. During the 2006 season, Arkansas picked up its last win against South Carolina with a 4-0 victory in Fayetteville. Last season, South Carolina won a 4-3 decision over the UA netters.

Freshman Pedro Campos and his 18-8 record lead the Gamecocks in wins this season.Senior Yevgeny Supeko is 7-8 this season, playing primarily at the No. 1 singles spot.

In the event of inclement weather, matches will be moved inside the Dills Indoor Tennis Center. Log on to www.hogwired.com for live stats and complete results.