Mississippi State
Arkansas
No. 24 MSU Women?s Tennis Ousts No. 29 Hogs 5-2 To Win Fourth Straight
April 16, 2016 | Women's Tennis
Fayetteville, Ark. – To close out the final weekend of regular season conference play, the 24th-ranked Mississippi State women's tennis team (16-7, 7-6 Southeastern Conference) ousted No. 29 Arkansas (16-12, 5-8 SEC) 5-2 on Saturday on the road.
The Bulldogs won four straight to close out the 2016 regular season, setting a school record for consecutive SEC victories. State's 7-6 league record marks the most SEC wins in program history and the first winning record in league play since 1989.
To start the day against Saturday, Arkansas posted a pair of close tiebreak doubles wins to claim the first point of the afternoon, MSU's doubles duo of No. 42 Madison Harrison and Kristina Vozniak overcame UA's tandem of No. 47 Shannon Hudson and Yuliya Lysa 6-3 on court 1 to start things off. Following at No. 2, Razorbacks Mia Jurasic and Ana Oparenovic held off Bulldogs Jasmine Lee and Louise Ronaldson 7-6(5). On the remaining court, Arkansas' Flavia Araujo and Makenzie Craft upset MSU's No. 83 Georgiana Patrasc and Anastasia Rentouli by the same 7-6(5) score to give the Razorbacks a 1-0 lead.
But like they did on Thursday at Missouri, the Bulldogs once again bounced back strongly in singles, taking five of the six first sets to setup the comeback triumph.
State's Jennifer Brown would be the first one off the court as she made quick work of Razorback Sasha Shkorupeieva 6-0, 6-2 on court 6 to claim her fourth win in a row. Following at the No. 2 position, Bulldog No. 35 Georgiana Patrasc won her eighth straight contest by knocking off Arkansas' No. 77 Oparenovic 7-5, 6-2 to give MSU a 2-1 lead.
Similar to Thursday against the Tigers, State's Madison Harrison would extend the lead to 3-1 as she notched her third consecutive victory, downing UA's Hudson, 7-6(0), 6-0 on court 3. State's 14th-ranked Jasmine Lee then clinched the match at the top position in the lineup, holding off 27th-ranked Razorback Lysa, snatching a close first-set tiebreaker and then posting a 7-6(11), 6-3 win.
The remaining two matches would be split between the teams. Jurasic held off State's Vozniak 6-2, 7-6(6) on court 5. At the No. 4 position, MSU's No. 100 Rentouli won when Arkansas' Craft defaulted with Rentouli leading 6-3, 4-6, 3-2.
“I could not be more proud of the way these ladies have competed for each and every match this season,” head coach Daryl Greenan said. "They are truly a special group of young women who have built a special bond. It has been an honor and a pleasure working with them and going to battle every weekend. They deserved to finish the SEC season with a winning record. They handled a lot of adversity and had to dig deep to pick up these two big road wins over Missouri and Arkansas this weekend. After losing the doubles they stayed focused not letting bad calls or unruly spectators distract them. They have made progress in every aspect as competitive athletes this spring. We will head in to the SEC tournament with some momentum and confidence."
With Saturday's victory, Greenan moved into a tie for second in all-time career coaching victories for MSU women's tennis, matching Andy Jackson's 68 wins from 1985-89.
To begin postseason play, State will now head to Baton Rouge, La., for the 2016 SEC Championship, April 20-24. The draw for the tournament will be released at the conclusion of all league play on Sunday.
For more information on Mississippi State women's tennis and updates, fans can follow the Bulldogs on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at HailStateWT.
No. 24 Mississippi State 5, No. 29 Arkansas 2
April 16, 2016 – George M. Billingsley Tennis Center – Fayetteville, Ark.
Doubles
Order of match finish…1,2,3
1. No. 42 Madison Harrison/Kristina Vozniak (MSU) def. No. 47 Shannon Hudson /Yuliya Lysa (ARK) 6-3
2. Mia Jurasic/Ana Oparenovic (ARK) def. Jasmine Lee/Louise Ronaldson (MSU) 7-6(5)
3. Flavia Araujo /Makenzie Craft (ARK) def. No. 83 Georgiana Patrasc/Anastasia Rentouli (MSU) 7-6(5)
Singles
Order of match finish…6,2,3,1,5,4
1. No. 14 Jasmine Lee (MSU) def. No. 27 Yuliya Lysa (ARK) 7-6(11), 6-3
2. No. 35 Georgiana Patrasc (MSU) def. No. 77 Ana Oparenovic (ARK) 7-5, 6-2
3. Madison Harrison (MSU) def. Shannon Hudson (ARK) 7-6(0), 6-0
4. No. 100 Anastasia Rentouli (MSU) def. Makenzie Craft (ARK) vs. 6-3, 4-6, 3-2 (def.)
5. Mia Jurasic (ARK) def. Kristina Vozniak (MSU) 6-2, 7-6(6)
6. Jennifer Brown (MSU) def. Sasha Shkorupeieva (ARK) 6-0, 6-2
