Razorbacks Host No. 7 Texas to Start Busy Weekend

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The Arkansas men’s tennis team will play the No. 7-ranked Texas Longhorns Friday at the Dills Indoor Tennis Center with the first serve scheduled for 6:30 p.m. For the first time this season, the Razorbacks (0-1) will play a home match on the courts of the indoor facility.

Last weekend’s home dual against No. 69 Fresno State was played at the Walton Life Fitness Center in Bentonville, Ark., due to on-going renovations at the on-campus tennis complex.

The match-up against the Longhorns (2-0) will mark the sixth consecutive season the former Southwest Conference rivals will face one another. Texas won last season’s match, 6-1, in Austin. Arkansas’ last win, a 4-3 triumph, in the series came in 2004 in Fayetteville.

In the Intercollegiate Tennis Association singles rankings, junior Blake Strode sits at No. 76 to begin the spring season. Four Texas players are ranked in the top 100: Kellen Damico (24), Ed Corrie (52), Dimitar Kutrovsky (53) and Jon Wiegand (100). The Longhorns also have two ranked doubles teams with No. 12 Damico and Luis Diaz Barriga and No. 13 Corrie and Hubert Chodkiewicz.

Freshman Razorback Chris Nott leads the team with 13 match wins this season, including a 3-0 record during the spring. Strode and senior Colin Mascall form UA’s top doubles team and are 8-4 this season.

Friday’s match will be followed by a Sunday doubleheader as the Arkansas netters welcome Louisiana-Lafayette and Seminole College to Northwest Arkansas. The match against Louisiana-Lafayette, will begin at 1 p.m., with the second match, against Seminole College, starting at 5:30 p.m.

Admission is free to all matches and there will also be free pizza available to fans. Log on to www.hogwired.com for live scoring during the matches and complete results.