Underclassmen lead charge to quarterfinals

Salt Lake City, Utah – Freshmen Ela Kaluder and Aurelija Miseviciute led the way for the University if Arkansas women’s team on Friday with two wins to advance to the singles quarterfinals at the ITA Central Regional Championships in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Miseviciute began in the round of 32 across from Arkansas-Little Rock’s Bindiya Parek. The Klaipeda, Lithuania native blanked her cross-state foe, 6-0, 6-0.

Ela Kaluder won her first round match of the day over Denver’s Marisa Mechem. The Lady’Back sophomore blanked Meechem in the second set to win 6-4, 6-0.

In the Round of 16, Miseviciute continued to play well with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Nebraska’s Kim Hartmann. With the win, Miseviciute improves her undefeated streak to 13-0.

It took Kaluder three sets that included two tiebreakers to dispose of Colorado’s Veera Nurmi. Kaluder played tough in those tiebreakers to win, 7-6(2), 4-6, 7-6(1).

Sophomore Maryori Franco picked up her second round match over Northern Arizona’s Susan McClelland, 6-1, 6-1, but could not hold on in the Round of 16 with a three-set loss to Kansas State’s Tamara Kvaratshelia, 6-2, 4-6, 6-1.

“You really have to hand it to our underclassman today,’ said Arkansas head coach Michael Hegarty. “They are growing by leads and bounds this fall.”

In doubles, the Lady Razorbacks went 2-1 on Thursday night as second-seeded team Franco and senior Karina Ledaja won their opening round match over Kansas’ Brittany Brown and Christine Skoda, 8-6. In their second round match, the Lady’Back pair cruised to victory over Oklahoma State’s Iryna Tkachenko and Zuzanna Osinska, 8-3, to advance to the round of 16.

The freshmen team of Miseviciute and Lakuder also advanced to the round of 16 with an 8-1 opening round win against Kansas’ Lauren Hommell and Edina Horvath. In their second round match, the young Arkansas team held Tulsa’s Kindsay Grimes and Carla Zabaleta to just two games in the 8-2 win.

Miseviciute and Kaluder scheduled to take singles court on Saturday at 9:00 am against fourth-seeded Olga Boulytcheva of BYU and Boise State’s Tatiana Ganzha, respectively. Semifinal matches are scheduled for noon that same day.

For more information on Arkansas women’s tennis or any other Lady Razorback sport, please visit LADYBACKS.COM.

Tennis Results:

ITA Central Regional Championships

Friday, October 21, 2005

Salt Lake City, Utah

Singles

Second Round

Ela Kaluder (Arkansas) def. Marisa Meecher (Denver) 6-4, 6-0

Aurelija Miseviciute (Arkansas) def. Bindiya Parek (Arkansas-Little Rock) 6-0, 6-0

Maryori Franco (Arkansas) def. Susan McClelland (N. Arizona) 6-1, 6-1

Tatiana Ganzha (Boise St.) def. Melissa Cornett (Arkansas) 6-3, 6-3

Iryna Tkachenko (Oklahoma St.) def. Karina Ledaja (Arkansas) 6-3, 6-2

Round of 16

Aurelija Miseviciute (Arkansas) def. Kim Hartmann (Nebraska) 6-2, 6-4

Ela Kaluder (Arkansas) def. Veera Nurmi (Colorado) 7-6(2), 4-6, 7-6(1)

Tamar Kvaratshelia (Kansas St.) def. Maryori Franco (Arkansas) 6-2, 4-6, 6-1

Doubles

First Round

Maryori Franco/Karina Ledaja (Arkansas) def. Brittany Brown/Christine Skoda (Kansas) 8-6

Ela Kaluder/Aurelija Miseviciute (Arkansas) def. Hommell and Edina Horvath (Kansas) 8-1

Patricia Chien/Karolina Rowinski (Wyoming) def. Vlatka Jovanovic/Melissa Cornett (Arkansas) 8-6

Second Round

Maryori Franco/Karina Ledaja (Arkansas) def. Iryna Tkachenko/Zuzanna Osinska (Oklahoma St.) 8-3

Kaluder/Miseviciute (Arkansas) def. Kindsay Grimes/Carla Zabaleta(Tulsa) 8-2

— LADY RAZORBACKS —