Arkansas
Georgia Sweeps Arkansas, 4-0 – University of Georgia Athletics
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The No. 11 Georgia women’s tennis team capped off its first weekend of Southeastern Conference action with its second sweep in three days, as it defeated No. 43 Arkansas 4-0 at the Billingsley Tennis Center on Sunday.
The victory extends the Bulldogs’ (7-3, 2-0 SEC) winning streak to five matches, now improving to 35-3 all-time against the Razorbacks (7-5, 0-2 SEC) and winning each of the last 16 meetings between both programs.
“It was a good weekend for our team here in Missouri and Arkansas,” said head coach Drake Bernstein. “We had a clean performance today in some tough, windy conditions, putting solid performances in across the board.”
Opening the day with doubles, Georgia took the early lead by securing the doubles point in its sixth-consecutive match.
The No. 23 tandem of Mai Nirundorn and Guillermina Grant struck first as the duo made quick work on court two, defeating Lenka Stara and Grace O’Donnell (Arkansas) 6-1. The win extends the duo’s winning streak to six matches.
On court one, the No. 22 duo of Aysegul Mert and Dasha Vidmanova jumped out to a flying start as they led 5-0 early in the match. Despite a late surge from the opposition, Mert and Vidmanova held on to close out Morgan Cross and Anet Koskel (Arkansas) by a score of 6-3 to secure the doubles point for the Bulldogs.
Moving on to singles play, Georgia remained on the front foot early as it took five first sets across six courts.
On court three, No. 95 Anastasiia Lopata was dominant from start to finish. The Kiev, Ukraine-native recorded a bagel in the first set and showed quickness down the stretch en route to a 6-0, 6-2 victory over Lenka Stara (Arkansas).
Coming off a win in her dual singles debut at Missouri on Friday, Mert shined bright in her second-straight appearance in the lineup as she made quick work of Kacie Harvey (Arkansas) for a 6-3, 6-2 win on court five.
Three Bulldogs came within two games of securing the clincher, but it was No. 48 Alexandra Vecic who came through for the win on court two. After trailing 4-1 in the first set, Vecic came back to win a tiebreaker in the first followed by a strong second set to defeat Kelly Keller (Arkansas) 7-6(1), 6-2.
Georgia’s next action will see it return on the road for two matches on the East Coast, where it will face No. 19 Florida on Friday, Mar. 8 at 5 p.m. ET in Gainesville, Fla. followed by No. 14 South Carolina on Sunday, Mar. 10 at 1 p.m. ET in Columbia, S.C. The Bulldogs will compete against both the Gators and Gamecocks for a second time this season, previously knocking off South Carolina 4-1 in the ITA Kickoff Championship match while defeating Florida 4-1 in the first consolation round at the ITA DI Women’s National Team Indoor Championships.
No. 11 GEORGIA vs No. 19 FLORIDA
Date: Friday, Mar. 8
Time: 5 p.m. ET
Location: Gainesville, Fla.
Venue: Alfred A. Ring Tennis Complex
Live Video/Scoring links will be provided closer to matchday.
No. 11 GEORGIA vs No. 14 SOUTH CAROLINA
Date: Sunday, Mar. 10
Time: 1 p.m. ET
Location: Columbia, S.C.
Venue: Carolina Tennis Center
Live Scoring: https://gado.gs/bhr
Live Video link will be provided closer to matchday.
Singles Results
No. 34 Dasha Vidmanova (UGA) vs No. 88 Carolina Gomez (ARK), 6-3, 4-5 (unfinished)
No. 48 Alexandra Vecic (UGA) def. Kelly Keller (ARK), 7-6 (7-1), 6-2
No. 95 Anastasiia Lopata (UGA) def. Lenka Stara (ARK), 6-0, 6-2
Guillermina Grant (UGA) vs Morgan Cross (ARK), 5-7, 5-3 (unfinished)
Aysegul Mert (UGA) def. Kacie Harvey (ARK), 6-3, 6-2
No. 89 Mai Nirundorn (UGA) vs Anet Koskel (ARK), 6-4, 5-3 (unfinished)
Doubles Results
No. 22 Aysegul Mert/Dasha Vidmanova (UGA) def. Morgan Cross/Anet Koskel (ARK), 6-3
No. 23 Guillermina Grant/Mai Nirundorn (UGA) def. Lenka Stara/Grace O’Donnell (ARK), 6-1
Mell Reasco/Alexandra Vecic (UGA) vs Kelly Keller/Carolina Gomez (ARK), 4-5 (unfinished)
Match Notes:
No. 11 Georgia (7-3, 2-0 SEC)
No. 43 Arkansas (7-5, 0-2 SEC)
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1); Singles (3,5,2)
Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Bulldogs by following UGA Women’s Tennis on X @UGAWomensTennis, on Instagram @UGAWomensTennis, and on Facebook @GeorgiaWomensTennis or check out information online at GeorgiaDogs.com.
NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KATV) — Purple is the color of the month in Arkansas, and Lupus Awareness Month is bringing a busy stretch of events, including a mayoral proclamation and a smooth jazz concert featuring acclaimed saxophonist Merlon Devine.
A proclamation for Lupus Awareness Month is set for 6 p.m. in North Little Rock, with Mayor Hardwick expected to present it. Organizers encouraged lupus warriors and supporters to come out.
Anita Boone, President of the Lupus Foundation of Arkansas Inc. and a former lupus warrior, described the day-to-day reality of living with the disease: “One minute you’re feeling amazing, the next minute your body is saying we can’t do this.”
Lupus is an autoimmune disease, described during the interview as a condition where the immune system attacks the body “inside out.” It can affect organs throughout the body, including the brain, lungs, heart and kidneys. Boone also shared personal impacts, saying, “I am losing, actually, ear from hearing, just because of lupus.”
The Lupus Foundation of Arkansas is also inviting the community to a Lupus Smooth Jazz Concert this Sunday, May 17, at 3:30 at The Space with Grace event venue, 2005 Main St., North Little Rock.
Gale Davis, committee chair for the Lupus Smooth Jazz Concert shared details about the concert.
Davis said guests are encouraged to “dress to impress,” though formalwear isn’t required. The event will include a photo backdrop, light hors d’oeuvres and beverages, and sponsored tables aimed at networking. It’s also a chance for people to meet other lupus warriors, learn more about the foundation’s work, and watch a video presentation highlighting events from the past year.
The featured artist, Merlon Devine, was described as an acclaimed saxophonist known for a soulful, smooth jazz sound, with a career spanning more than two decades and performances across the country and around the world. He’s also an Arkansas native who attended Little Rock Central High School. He now lives in Southern Maryland, outside Washington, D.C.
Davis said Devine’s connection to lupus is personal. She said his father had lupus and has since died, though he didn’t die from lupus. They also said Divine had a sister who died from lupus in 1981 and that he currently has two sisters living with lupus.
She also shared that, according to his doctors, Devine was born with acute asthma and underdeveloped lungs. His latest single, released last year, is called “Mercy.”
Tickets must be purchased online and will not be sold at the door. They’re available online by clicking on the flyer. Prices are $40 for individual tickets, or $400 for a table of nine, with an option to sponsor a table.
Organizers also noted another proclamation is planned for the Little Rock side with Mayor Frank Scott tomorrow, and encouraged people to follow the Lupus Foundation of Arkansas on social media for updates.
The concert will take place this Sunday at the Space With Grace Venue in North Little Rock.
ASHLAND TOWNSHIP, Mich. — An Arkansas man died after crashing a dirt bike on Sunday.
The 21-year-old Arkansas man, formerly from Newaygo, crashed into a tree while riding a dirt bike on private property in Ashland Township near Grant on Sunday before 2:30 p.m., according to Michigan State Police (MSP) troopers.
Emergency responders tried to save his life but he died at the scene.
Troopers are still investigating but do not suspect drugs or alcohol as factors in the crash.
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MSP did not initially release any additional information.
FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas softball will once again host an NCAA Regional, this time as the No. 5 overall national seed.
The Razorbacks (42-11) will be the top seed in Fayetteville and open the tournament against fourth-seeded Fordham (27-26) at 4:30 p.m. on Friday, May 15.
Washington (36-18) is the two-seed and will face three-seed South Florida (42-15) that same day inside Bogle Park.
Arkansas is paired with the Durham Regional hosted by Duke (39-14) for a potential super regional. Arizona (35-16), Marshall (37-17) and Howard (28-17) are joining the Blue Devils in the regional.
This is the sixth consecutive season the Razorbacks will host a regional. It is also the program’s eighth straight NCAA Tournament berth under coach Courtney Deifel. Arkansas has reached the NCAA tournament 14 times, and more than half of those appearances have come under Deifel.
Arkansas ended the season No. 1 in the RPI despite finishing seventh in the SEC standings. The Hogs were eliminated by Alabama in the conference tournament quarterfinals.
Last year, Arkansas lost to SEC rival Ole Miss in the Super Regionals. The Hogs fell one win shy of reaching the Women’s College World Series for the first time in program history. They are hoping to take that elusive next step this summer and book a trip to Oklahoma City in two weeks time.
Jackson Fuller covers Arkansas football, basketball and baseball for the Southwest Times Record, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at jfuller@usatodayco.com or follow him @jacksonfuller16 on X, formerly known as Twitter.
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