Arkansas begins fall season

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Coming off its second consecutive Southeastern Conference Western Division title, the Arkansas Razorback women’s tennis team begins their fall season on the road this weekend at the SEC Fall Coaches Classic in Nashville, Tenn.

Hosted by Vanderbilt University, the classic begins on Friday and runs through Sunday. The event provides a fall showcase for SEC women’s tennis, featuring 12 of the top 60 teams in the nation, according to the May 22 ITA ratings. Ten teams finished last season ranked in the country’s top 30, including Arkansas at No. 15.

Arkansas head coach Michael Hegarty is sending sophomores Emily Carbone and Kate Lukomskaya along with freshman Kelsey Sundaram and Valentina Starkova to compete in this weekend’s event.

"We are looking forward to kicking off the fall season this weekend in Nashville," Hegarty said. "The competition will be stiff and we will be looking to learn as much as possible."

Play on Friday will start with two flights of doubles beginning at 9 a.m. Central Time followed by two flights of singles at 1 p.m. In doubles action, the duo of Lukomskaya and Sundaram will face Alabama’s Courtney McLane and Alexa Guarachi.

In singles, Carbone faces Lauren Meier of Kentucky, while Lukomskaya takes on Vanderbilt’s Chelsea Preeg on the outdoor courts at Currey Tennis Center. On the indoor courts, Sundaram will battle against Florida’s Brittany Borsanyi. All three will compete in the second flight.

Results following Friday’s action can be found immediately at ArkansasRazorbacks.com.