University of Tennessee Athletics
University of Tennessee
Arkansas
Vols Lose to Arkansas, 4-3
April 09, 2017 | Women's Tennis
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. -- Despite a late come-from-behind effort, the 24th-ranked Tennessee women's tennis team fell short against No. 19 Arkansas, 4-3, at George M. Billingsley Tennis Center.
"We had a blast competing against a very good Arkansas team," head coach Alison Ojeda said. "We have one of the most resilient teams I have ever been a part of. All Ty Schaub and I keep doing is pushing them a little further and further every practice, and all they keep doing is responding and asking for more. Our culture is one everyone would be proud to be a part of. Freshman Ariadna Riley is one of the most tactically impressive players I've seen. Senior Eve Repic had a breakthrough weekend. She made up her mind to push through some internal adversity, and she was a much needed spark plug for our team. Gabby Schuck is tough as nails. She is someone who every coach loves to have on their team. She makes everyone around her better."
After dropping the doubles point and going down 3-1 early, the Vols (16-9, 3-8 SEC) began to rally on the three remaining courts. UT quickly took one court and then forced third sets on the other two. The two teams split the courts, giving Arkansas the victory.
In doubles, the duo of Ariadna Riley and Johanna Silva dropped a 6-2 match on Court 3 against Natsuho Arakawa and Leolia Jeanjean. The Razorbacks clinched the doubles point with a 6-4 win on Court 2 over Sadie Hammond and Gabby Schuck.
In singles, Schuck got the Vols on the board, defeating Natsuho Arakawa, 6-2, 6-3. Eve Repic picked up a ranked win over No. 77 Ana Oparenovic, 7-6 (4), 6-2, on Court 2.
With Arkansas holding a 3-2 advantage, UT forced third sets for a chance to get the win. After going back and forth on Court 1, 51st-ranked Shannon Hudson edged out Brittany Lindl, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4, to clinch the match. Riley picked up a win seconds later to end the contest, beating Mia Jurasic, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4.
"We are very excited to get back to Knoxville and get some well deserved rest so we can get back to practice Tuesday morning," Ojeda said. "I also want to again thank our administration, Donna Thomas, Dara Worrell and David Elliott, who spent a lot of time and money to figure out a way for our team to get to Missouri so we could compete this weekend. We are incredibly grateful. They played as much a role in yesterday's win as our team did."
Tennessee returns home to finish up the regular season next weekend, hosting Texas A&M on Friday at 6 p.m. and LSU on Sunday at 1 p.m.
For the most up-to-date information about the Tennessee women's tennis program, follow @Vol_WTennis on Twitter.
No. 19 Arkansas 4, No. 24 Tennessee 3
Singles
1. #51 Shannon Hudson (AR) def. #58 Brittany Lindl (UT), 6-4, 2-6, 6-4
2. Eve Repic (UT) def. #77 Ana Oparenovic (AR), 7-6 (4), 6-2
3. Leolia Jeanjean (AR) def. Sadie Hammond (UT), 6-1, 6-1
4. Ariadna Riley (UT) def. Mia Jurasic (AR), 4-6, 6-4, 6-4
5. Giulia Pairone (AR) def. Johanna Silva (UT), 6-1, 6-4
6. Gabby Schuck (UT) def. Natsuho Arakawa (AR), 6-2, 6-3
Doubles
1. Lindl/ Repic (UT) vs. #40 Hudson/Pairone (AR), 3-5 unf.
2. Oparenovic/Jurasic (AR) def. Hammond/Schuck (UT), 6-4
3. Arakawa/Jeanjean (AR) def. Riley/Silva (UT), 6-2
Order of Finish: Doubles (3, 2); Singles (3, 6, 5, 2, 1, 4)
