Razorbacks take part in ITA Kick-Off Weekend

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The University of Arkansas men’s and women’s tennis teams have been selected to participate in the second annual Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s (ITA) Kick-Off Weekend it was announced Wednesday. The Razorback women’s team will be one of 15 host sites welcoming South Carolina, Michigan and Washington. Arkansas is the No. 1 seed at this site and faces four-seed Washington while the Gamecocks and Wolverines meet in the first round. Winners and losers play on the second day with the overall winner advancing to the ITA National Team Indoor Championships at the Nielsen Tennis Stadium hosted by the University of Wisconsin Feb. 12-15. “Hosting the Kickoff Weekend is an exciting beginning to the 2010 college tennis spring season,” said Razorback women’s coach Michael Hegarty. “Three excellent programs will be coming to Fayetteville and we will certainly look to this event to springboard us toward a great spring season." Action gets underway Friday, Jan. 29, with South Carolina taking on Michigan at 11 a.m., followed by the 3 p.m. meeting between Arkansas and Washington. Saturday’s matches are scheduled for a 10 a.m. consolation and 2 p.m. final. The other women’s host sites include Duke, Northwestern, Georgia, California, Notre Dame, Baylor, Miami, Georgia Tech, USC, Tennessee, Clemson, UCLA, Florida and Fresno State. The Razorback men’s team was selected as a participant and travels to Ole Miss where they face the host Rebels in the opener. The other teams at that site include Indiana and Columbia. “We’re pleased with our selection for the National ITA Kick-Off Weekend,” echoed men’s head coach Robert Cox. “We’re going to a place we’re familiar with and we’re very excited to begin our spring season at this event. It’s challenging yet very exciting to face another SEC school and national contender in Ole Miss. It’s a challenge I think we’ll be up for.” Both teams participated in the Kick-Off Weekend last year as well. For more information about Arkansas tennis, log on to ArkansasRazorbacks.com.