Hogs pick up another road win, downing UNLV on Friday afternoon

LAS VEGAS — Arkansas picked up a third victory on the road with a 5-2 win over UNLV Friday afternoon at the Frank and Vicki Fertitta Tennis Complex.

Doubles

The Razorbacks came out focused and claimed victories on courts two and three to secure the doubles point.

Jackie Carr and Martina Zerulo cruised to a 6-2 win over Connie Li and Sam Smith, notching their second road win this dual match season.

The No. 22 pair of Lauren Alter and Tatum Rice dropped a 6-1 decision to No. 13 Izumi Asano and En-Pei Huan on court one.

The attention shifted to court three, where Thea Rice and Laura Rijkers took on Samantha Li and Olivia Elliot.

Thea Rice and Rijkers surged out to a 5-3 lead but saw the UNLV tandem counter to make it a 5-5 match. With their backs against the wall, the Arkansas sophomore combo rallied back and won in a tiebreak 7-6 (7-1), to provide the Hogs with the early momentum.

Singles

The Razorbacks corralled the momentum gained in doubles and took it over to singles play, claiming four of the first six sets.

114th-ranked Carr picked up her second win of the weekend as she battled to a 6-1, 6-1 victory over Connie Li. Carr’s victory from the No. 3 position gave Arkansas a 2-1 edge.

Alter registered her second straight win against Sam Smith, 6-3, 6-3, with freshman Kelly Keller following not too far behind clinching the singles point for the Hogs defeating Elliot 6-3, 6-3.

The two teams played all six singles matches to completion. In the No. 2 slot, Tatum Rice pulled out a gritty 7-6, 6-3 verdict over Huang.

Rijkers on court five was the last match of the day. The sophomore was defeated in a tiebreak battle of 6-7, 7-5, 1-0 (11-9).

Up next

The Hogs take the court again Saturday at noon facing Virginia Tech. This will be the second time in series history the two schools have met.

Singles competition
1. Izumi Asano (UNLV) def. Martina Zerulo (ARK) 2-1, retired
2. Tatum Rice (ARK) def. En-Pei Huang (UNLV) 7-6, 6-2
3. 114 Jackie Carr (ARK) def. Connie Li (UNLV) 6-1, 6-1
4. Lauren Alter (ARK) def. Sam Smith (UNLV) 6-3, 6-3
5. Kelly Keller (ARK) def. Olivia Elliott (UNLV) 6-3, 6-3
6. Samantha Li (UNLV) def. Laura Rijkers (ARK) 6-7, 7-5, 1-0 (11-9)

 Doubles competition
1. 13 Izumi Asano/En-Pei Huang (UNLV) def. 22 Tatum Rice/Lauren Alter (ARK) 6-1
2. Martina Zerulo/Jackie Carr (ARK) def. Connie Li/Sam Smith (UNLV) 6-2
3. Laura Rijkers/Thea Rice (ARK) def. Samantha Li/Olivia Elliott (UNLV) 7-6 (7-1)

Information from Razorback Sports Communications is included in this story.