Ready for No. 3 Duke at NCAA Championships

COLLEGE STATION, Texas — After claiming an NCAA Championships birth by winning the Fayetteville NCAA Regional, the 14th-ranked University of Arkansas women’s tennis team faces the third-overall ranked Duke Blue Devils on Friday.Friday’s 9 a.m. mach on the campus of Texas A&M University will kick-off the 2009 NCAA Women’s Tennis Championships and the Hogs (15-7) second-consecutive appearance and third in program history.

"We are excited for this Sweet Sixteen match up with Duke," said Arkansas head coach Michael Hegarty. "They have been very close to winning national titles in the past and this might be their best squad yet."The Blue Devils (25-3) won their hosted regional as the third-overall seed in the NCAA tournament and sport six individually-ranked players in the ITA rankings. Freshman Mallory Cecil is the highest ranked at No. 9, followed by Reka Zsilinszka (29), Ellah Nza (37), Tara Iyer (51), Amanda Granson (82), and Melissa Mang (124) respectively.Arkansas advanced into the Elite Eight of the NCAA Championships last year by knocking off the No. 2 overall seed Georgia Bulldogs. It marked the first time the Razorbacks advanced into the round of eight, as they look to pull off another upset to make their second appearance."Our team is super motivated for tomorrow and we expect a great match," Hegarty said. Live stats and video for Friday’s match will be available on ARKANSASRAZORBACKS.COM.