Netters set for SEC Tournament

FAYETTEVILLE—The University of Arkansas women’s tennis team is looking to make a splash at the Southeastern Conference women’s tennis tournament this week in Tuscaloosa, Ala. The 11-10 (1-10) Lady Razorbacks earned the 11th seed in the tournament and begin tournament play Thursday against sixth-seeded South Carolina 13-6 (6-4) at 2:00 p.m. It seems almost fitting the Lady’Backs get a second chance against the Gamecocks. In their first meeting, Arkansas took the doubles point for the seventh time this season and looked strong at the beginning of singles by forcing a third set on four of six courts. Since the match against Arkansas in Fayetteville, the Gamecocks have gone 7-7 and 5-5 in SEC play winning four of their last five matches. The Gamecocks currently have a 3-12 hold on the all-time series. “In our last match against South Carolina, the match was much closer than what the score showed,” said head coach Michael Hegarty. “The team has come a long way since the match, and we’ll will be ready to compete on Thursday.” The Lady’Backs are coming off their closest loss all season, a 4-3 decision in the favor of LSU. The Lady Razorbacks rebounded after losing the doubles point by taking control of the top half of the lineup. Melissa Cornett, playing for the first time this season on court three, won her third consecutive SEC match of the spring by taking a second set decision, 7-5, over LSU’s Staten Spencer. Spencer retired in the third to give Cornett the win. Vlatka Jovanovic took a victory on center court by holding of a charging Amanda Mang to win, 6-3, 7-5. Karina Ledaja captured her 25th win as a Lady’Back with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Lauren Seaman. As a team, the Lady’Backs are making a comeback in the national rankings. The Lady Razorbacks moved up six spots on the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s weekly poll, while junior Vlatka Jovanovic climbed to 65th in the nation’s singles rankings. “This week’s rankings shows that even a loss in SEC play can boost a national ranking,” said Hegarty. “That shows just how competitive a conference we play in.” Match time is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. Live Scoring is available via www.ladybacks.com. For more information on Arkansas tennis or any other Lady’Back sport, please visit www.ladybacks.com.