No. 16 Arkansas Blanks No. 49 South Carolina 4-0
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Arkansas notched its second Southeastern Conference shutout of the season as the 16th-ranked Razorbacks blanked 49th-ranked South Carolina, 4-0, at the Dills Indoor Tennis Center in Fayetteville.
Arkansas improves to 12-6 this season and evens its SEC record at 3-3. The Gamecocks fall to 10-10 overall and 1-5 in the conference.
Arkansas won the doubles point and took the early 1-0 lead. It was the 10th time this season the Hogs have won the doubles point. The Razorbacks are 10-0 in those matches.
The Razorback pair of sophomore Colin Mascall and freshman Austin King won their match at No. 3 doubles, 8-3, over the Gamecock combo of Thomas Stoddard and Joseph Veeder. Arkansas’ duo of seniors Rohan Gajjar and Matt Roberts clinched the doubles victory, 8-3, over Tom Eklund and Jaime Cuellar at No. 1 doubles.
Mascall and King improved to 6-9 this season and evened their SEC record at 3-3. Roberts and Gajjar won their second straight match, and bettered their mark to 11-6 and 2-3 in the SEC.
Due to an injury to Eklund, South Carolina was forced to forfeit the match at No. 6 singles, giving the Razorbacks a 2-0 advantage.
Freshman Blake Strode raced to a, 6-1, 6-3, victory over Stoddard at No. 4 singles, pushing the Razorback lead to 3-0. Strode, ranked 102nd, improved to 18-5 overall this season, 10-3 in dual matches and 3-3 in the SEC.
Roberts quickly followed at No. 2, taking down Pedro Rodrigues, 6-1, 6-4. The 49th-ranked Little Rock native bettered his season record to 22-6, 13-3 in duals and 5-1 in the SEC.
The remaining matches were suspended due to travel concerns for South Carolina.
Arkansas returns to action Friday when it travels to Starkville, Miss. to take on the Mississippi State Bulldogs. The Razorbacks and Bulldogs will begin Friday at 2 p.m. in Starkville. The Hogs return home Sunday, April 2, to host the 13th-ranked Ole Miss Rebels. The match is set for a 1 p.m. first serve.
#16 Arkansas 4, #49 South Carolina 0
March 26, 2006
Fayetteville, Ark.
Doubles:
1. Matt Roberts/Rohan Gajjar (AR) def. Tom Eklund/Jaime Cuellar (USC), 8-3
2. Blake Strode/Adrians Zguns (AR) vs. Pedro Rodrigues/Yevgeny Supeko (USC), 7-4 (susp.)
3. Austin King/Colin Mascall (AR) def. Thomas Stoddard/Joseph Veeder (USC), 8-3
Order of Finish: 3, 1
Singles
1. #13 Adrians Zguns (AR) vs. Jaime Cuellar (USC), 7-6, 2-1 susp.
2. #49 Matt Roberts (AR) def. Pedro Rodrigues (USC), 6-1, 6-4
3. #74 Rohan Gajjar (AR) vs. Yevgeny Supeko (USC), 6-4, 3-2 susp.
4. #102 Blake Strode (AR) def. Thomas Stoddard (USC), 6-1, 6-3
5. Colin Mascall (AR) vs. Joseph Veeder (USC), 6-2, 5-2 susp.
6. Austin King (AR) def.Adam Adler(USC), retired
Order of Finish: 6, 4, 2
Match Notes:
#16 Arkansas (12-6, 3-3 SEC), #49 South Carolina (10-10, 1-5 SEC)
Clinchers: No. 1 doubles
Due to travel concerns, match played at Dills Indoor Tennis Center.
South Carolina forfeited match at #6 due to injuries
