Razorbacks upset No. 9 Cowgirls
FAYETTEVILLE — The Arkansas women’s tennis team earned a 4-3 upset over No. 9 Oklahoma State Friday afternoon, but the Razorbacks lost a second home match to Oklahoma on Sunday for their first loss of the season.
Junior Jackie Carr clinched the win on Friday with her first win of the season. Arkansas head coach Courtney Steinbock was previously an assistant coach at Oklahoma State (4-3).
“I’m so happy for this group,” Steinbock said. “It was such a great team effort.
“I knew coming into the season that we had talent, but we really came
to play today. I think the girls see what we have been seeing for the last few months. This is a long season, so while we will enjoy this win, we need to get back to work tomorrow.”
The team dropped the doubles point to open the match as sophomores Tatum Rice, of Lakeside, and Martina Zerulo lost, 7-6, in the No. 1 doubles match. They fell, 7-3, in the tiebreaker.
Freshmen Miruna Tudor and Laura Rijkers were tied, 6-6, in the unfinished No. 3 doubles match against Tamara Arnold and Bunyawi Thamchaiwat. Carr and junior transfer Lauren Alter fell in the No. 2 doubles match,
6-4, to Marina Guinart and Lisa Marie Rioux.
Arkansas (7-1) quickly evened the match, 1-1, at the No. 2 position. Rice defeated No. 21 Katarina Stresnakova, 6-2, 6-3.
The Razorbacks then fell behind, 3-1, as Alter fell, 6-4, 6-3, to Rioux and Rijkers lost in three sets, 4-6, 6-2, 6-2, to Guinart. Tudor topped Arnold, 6-3, 4-6, 6-0, in the No. 6 position and Zerulo evened the match, 3-3, with a 6-4,
6-4 win against Thamchaiwat at No. 1.
Carr clinched the match in the tiebreaker set, 6-7 (5-7), 6-2,
6-4, after fighting back from a one-set deficit to win the match. The win was the first time since
2012 Arkansas defeated Oklahoma State.
Rice and Zerulo gave Arkansas its only win on Sunday as Oklahoma (4-1) swept the official points, 4-0. The sophomores won the No. 1 doubles match, 6-4, against Jasmine Asghar and Ivana Corley.
Oklahoma won the other two doubles matches and the first three singles matches to finish. Play was suspended at the bottom three positions due to the clinch.
Rice’s younger sister, freshman Thea Rice, did not play in either match due to injury.
Arkansas will be on the road on Saturday at Tulsa (6-4). The Razorbacks will have a week off until Feb. 16 when they are scheduled to travel to Los Angeles to face Loyola Marymount (1-3).