Razorbacks Travel To Face Missouri

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The No. 33 Arkansas women’s tennis team will continue Southeastern Conference action Saturday at No. 60 Missouri in Columbia, Missouri. First serve is slated for noon at the Mizzou Tennis Complex.

After an injury-plagued first half of the season, the resurgent Razorbacks continue to rise in the Oracle/ITA Rankings, checking in at a season-high No. 33 this week. Arkansas (6-6, 0-2) has defeated three teams that are currently ranked in the top 75, including a feature win over now-No. 14 Wichita State on Feb. 22. Each of the Razorbacks’ losses have been to teams that currently sit in the top 25.

From Coach Hegarty
“We are excited for the trip to Missouri,” Arkansas women’s tennis head coach Michael Hegarty said. “We are going from strength-to-strength right now and continue to work toward our best performances during conference play.” 

Last Time Out
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Arkansas opened league play with two road contests against top-15 opponents. The Razorbacks fell 7-0 at No. 15 Florida on March 3 then dropped a 5-2 decision at No. 12 South Carolina on March 5.

• Against the Gamecocks, freshman Ana Oparenovic and senior Yuliya Lysa each earned singles wins over ranked opponents. Oparenovic eased past South Carolina’s No. 71 Caroline Dailey 6-1, 6-1 at the No. 1 spot, while Lysa registered a 6-3, 7-5 triumph over No. 108 Paige Cline at the No. 3 spot.

#RazorFacts
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Oparenovic boasts a team-best 8-4 dual-match singles record.

• In doubles, the Razorbacks are led by the pair of Oparenovic and sophomore Mia Jurasic, who are 8-3 in dual play.

The Opponent
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Missouri (12-3, 0-2) is coming off a two-match losing skid after dropping matches at No. 12 South Carolina and No. 15 Florida last week.

• The Tigers are paced by Kelli Hine (12-3) and No. 98 Beatriz Machado Santos (11-2). Santos recently entered the national rankings after picking up a win over Florida’s No. 12 Brooke Austin.

• Hine and Santos also are the Tigers’ top doubles duo. The No. 77-ranked pair is 8-4 in dual-match play.

The Series
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Arkansas holds a 5-4 advantage in the all-time series, dating back to 1982.

• The Tigers won the last meeting 4-3 in the first round of the 2015 SEC Tournament. However, the Razorbacks won the regular-season meeting 6-1 on March 1 in Fayetteville.