Lysa Set For NCAA Quest
TULSA, Okla. – Arkansas senior Yuliya Lysa will compete in the singles competition of the 2016 NCAA Division I Women’s Tennis Championships, which will be held May 25-30 at the Michael D. Case Tennis Center in Tulsa.
Lysa, the nation’s No. 21-ranked singles player, earned a spot in the field of 64 on May 4. She will take on Tulsa’s No. 86 Saana Saarteinen in the round of 64 on Wednesday. First serve is slated for 11 a.m. CDT. The duo of Lysa and Hudson also are now the first alternate for the doubles championship.
Lysa and Saarteinen previously met in the first round of the NCAA team championship at the Oklahoma State Regional on May 13. The match went unfinished. However, Lysa led Saarteinen 7-6 (2), 4-2 when the No. 28-ranked Golden Hurricane (22-4) clinched the overall match over the No. 33-ranked Razorbacks (16-14) at 4-1.
Despite missing the first seven matches of the season with an injury, Lysa compiled a 13-6 dual-match singles record, including a 9-4 mark at No. 1 and in Southeastern Conference play. The left-hander dispatched eight ranked singles opponents, including four in the top 25. After earning All-SEC Second Team honors in 2015, she followed up by securing a spot on All-SEC First Team and being named Intercollegiate Tennis Association Central Region Senior Player of the Year for her efforts this season. In addition, her No. 21 ranking is a career-best mark.
Lysa’s Top-25 Wins
| Date | Opponent (School) | Position | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 20 | No. 21 Andie Dikosavljevic (No. 15 Auburn) | 1 | 6-2, 6-1 |
| March 25 | No. 19 Joana Vale Costa (at No. 15 LSU) | 1 | 7-5, 6-4 |
| April 10 | No. 19 Sydney Campbell (No. 5 Vanderbilt) | 1 | 1-6, 6-3, 7-6 (5) |
| April 14 | No. 22 Arianne Hartono (Ole Miss) | 1 | 6-1, 7-5 |
Two of Lysa’s ranked victories were match clinchers. Her most memorable match-clinching victory came against No. 17 Texas A&M in College Station, Texas. With the team score tied 3-3, Lysa got the point she needed to earn a thrilling 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 victory over No. 32 Saska Gavriovska at the top singles spot. It was her third-straight win over a ranked opponent. The overall match victory marked the Razorbacks’ first win against Texas A&M since the Aggies joined the SEC in 2013.
Quotable
“We are very excited to get underway. Yuliya has been training hard and we expect she will have another fantastic performance here in Tulsa.” – Head coach Michael Hegarty
Last Time at the Singles Championship
Lysa fell 6-3, 6-2 to California’s No. 43 Zsofi Susanyi in the round of 64 in 2015.
Arkansas’ History at the Singles Championship
Lysa’s selection to the singles championship is the 14th in program history. Former Razorback Aurelija Miseviciute holds the program’s best finish in the individual event. Miseviciute, the winningest singles player in program history with 125 victories, reached the semifinals in 2008. Despite falling in the Final Four, she amassed 52 wins on the season and finished as the nation’s No. 1-ranked singles player.
Arkansas’ Past Singles Championship Selections
| Year | Player | Finish |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Maria Pavlidou | Round of 64 |
| 1998 | Maria Pavlidou | Round of 64 |
| 1999 | Maria Pavlidou | Quarterfinals |
| 2000 | Chin Bee Khoo | Round of 32 |
| 2000 | Chin Bee Khoo | Round of 16 |
| 2001 | Chin Bee Khoo | Round of 32 |
| 2007 | Ela Kaluder | Round of 64 |
| 2008 | Aurelija Miseviciute | Semifinals |
| 2009 | Aurelija Miseviciute | Quarterfinals |
| 2010 | Anouk Tigu | Round of 32 |
| 2011 | Anouk Tigu | Round of 32 |
| 2013 | Yang Pang | Round of 64 |
| 2015 | Yuliya Lysa | Round of 64 |
Live Coverage
Fans can follow all the action during competition with live video and live scoring.
Tickets
All-Session Tickets can be purchased online at TulsaHurricane.com. All-Session Tickets are $125 for adults and $75 for youth (college age w/ID and younger). Daily Tickets can be purchased each day on-site at the Main Ticket Tent/Spectator Entrance on the north side of the Michael D. Case Tennis Center. Daily tickets are $15 for adults and $8 for youth.
For more information on Arkansas Women’s Tennis, follow @RazorbackWTEN on Twitter.
