Women's tennis earns No. 14 preseason ranking
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Earning their highest ever Intercollegiate Tennis Association preseason ranking at No. 14 on Tuesday, the University of Arkansas Razorback women’s tennis team will look to repeat success in the upcoming 2009 season.
“After such a strong fall season we are obviously excited to get the team season kicked off and try to put ourselves in position to make another run this year,” said Arkansas head coach Michael Hegarty. “This is definitely the strongest schedule we have had since I have been here with fifteen ranked teams on the schedule which will hopefully help us out a ton at the end of the season.”
Arkansas closed out the 2008 season in the 14th spot after vaulting into the Elite Eight of the NCAA Championships.
In the singles rankings two-time ITA National Indoor Singles Champion, Aurelija Miseviciute, claimed the No. 2 spot nationally after a 16-1 overall record in the fall. Miseviciute claimed her second consecutive national title in the fall after defeating No. 4 Ana Mijacika from Clemson.
Sophomore Anouk Tigu is looking to make a splash with one year under her belt after entering the preseason rankings at No. 66. Tigu ended her first fall season at Arkansas with an impressive 12-1 record and is the only Razorback to appear in both the singles and doubles ITA national rankings.
In doubles, senior Nanar Airapetian along with Tigu rocketed to the No. 8 spot after being unranked during the fall season. Thanks in part to being the ITA Central Region Champions and ITA National Indoor semifinalists, the Arkansas duo finds themselves among the nation’s elite groups.
“These individual rankings are a nice starting point for the ladies as we enter the spring season, and are really a testament to some really fine play this fall,” Hegarty said. “Certainly it gives us confidence that big things lie ahead this spring both individually and as a team.”
Arkansas will serve up their spring season on Jan. 17 in Charlottesville, Va. for the Virginia Collegiates.
