Tennis opens fall at two weekend tournaments

Oxford, Miss. – To open the 2005 fall season, the University of Arkansas tennis team travels to Oxford, Miss. and Williamsburg, Va. for two weekend tournaments beginning Friday. No. 113 sophomore Maryori Franco leads a six-member Lady Razorback squad that includes senior Melissa Cornett, sophomores Audrey Bordeleau and Allison Linden and freshmen Rachel Wilhelm and Lindsey Brown to the Lady Rebel Invitational. The Ole Miss tournament features an 11-school field highlighted by the Southeastern Conference’s Arkansas, Ole Miss, and Mississippi State. The first round bracket features three seeded Arkansas players in their respective flights. Franco is seeded fourth in the red singles draw and faces Ole Miss’ Virginia Tomatis in opening round action. Senior Melissa Cornett received a two seed in the blue singles draw. She begins her final year as a Lady’Back against Southern Mississippi’s Grace Kammerer. Bordeleau opens against Troy’s Susanne Jones to round out the seeded Arkansas netters with a two-seed in the white singles flight. The Lady Rebel Invitational also features play from freshmen Wilhelm and Brown. Wilhelm opens against Louisiana’-Monroe’s Pauline Bourdet in the white flight while Brown is the only other Arkansas player to begin against with SEC competition against Mississippi State’s Tatiana Feit. In doubles, Franco and fellow sophomore Audrey Bordeleau hold a two seed in the red doubles bracket. The Lady’Back tandem opens against South Alabama’s Klara Jarova and Dijana Stanic. Nearly 950 miles away in Williamsburg, Va., freshmen Aurelija Miseviciute and Ela Kaluder begin their collegiate careers at the William and Mary Classic. Miseviciute, seeded third at the WM Classic, opens against Boston College’s Szilvia Szegedi in flight A. Kaluder competes as a two seed against Patricia Coimbra of Winthrop in flight E. In doubles, the freshmen pair up in flight A action across from 16th ranked Sara Anundsen and Jenna Long of North Carolina. “It’s exciting to begin our season at two quality tournaments such as the Lady Rebel Invitational and the William and Mary Classic,” said head coach Michael Hegarty. “We will be tested early in both tournaments and I think it will be good for us.” Both tournaments continue through Sunday morning. For more information, please visit www.LADYBACKS.COM.