FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The 20th women’s tennis team at the University of Arkansas returns to action this weekend, in South Carolina on Friday, March 12, and in Florida, on Sunday, March 14.
“Each match for us is a great physical and mental opportunity in this league, so I’m really looking forward to this weekend being on the road,” said women’s tennis coach Courtney Steinbock. “By competing in the SEC, you will always have good, difficult and quality opponents, so we see this weekend as just another opportunity for us to continue to assess where we are, both individually and collectively. We had a big win against Vandy and we just didn’t have enough in the tank against Kentucky. I have no doubt that we will regroup, redefine and respond. “
The last weekend was a busy one for Arkansas, which split the weekend when it defeated 9th place in the ranking, Vanderbilt, and lost Sunday’s game to Kentucky. The defeat was Arkansas’s first of the season, when the Hogs opened their 2021 campaign with a ten-game winning streak, the best start since 2005.
For her success on the court last weekend against Commodores and Wildcats, junior Kelly Keller was named SEC’s Newcomer of the Week. She won singles and doubles matches against Vanderbilt and was leading her singles opponent on Sunday against Kentucky – playing in second place in both games. She delivered the pair to Vanderbilt Rosca and Lee just their second loss of the season, while defeating Emma Kurtz of the VU 4-6, 6-4, 6-3. Keller improved to 6-3 in singles and 7-1 in doubles.
Arriving at the match on Friday, South Carolina holds a 4-9 overall record and is 1-5 in the league game this year. Gamecocks have had four consecutive losses to SEC classified opponents. Last weekend, the Gamecocks faced No. 21 Tennessee and No. 3 Georgia, losing both games 4-0.
Florida also comes from a defeat against No. 21 Tennessee, losing the match 4-2. The Gators are led by their two main competitors, McCartney Kessler and Marlee Zein. Both won their singles matches against the powerful Volunteers and won their doubles matches for the seventh straight win together.
Friday’s departure in Columbia, SC is scheduled for 17:00 (CT) and Sunday’s departure in Florida for 13:00. Live score links and access to live streams for both matches are available on our schedule page, here.
Fans are encouraged to visit ArkansasRazorbacks.com for the latest information on all things Arkansas women’s tennis. You can also find the Hogs on social media by liking us on Facebook (Arkansas Razorback Women’s Tennis) and following us on Twitter and Instagram (@RazorbackWTEN).