CONWAY, Ark. - Heading into the matchup, these were the two teams to watch as they both were jostling for a top spot in the ASUN. On paper, it was the matchup of the week, and on the court, it equaled that as the Bears fell just short of a big-time rally in the 5-2 defeat. 

While the score did not favor the Central Arkansas tennis program, it showcased something else: this team can compete with the best of them. The Lady Flames may have gotten the first three points on the day, but the Bears were ready to counteract that as they took two straight and then nearly forced a set three in one match and nearly finished out the other. Overall, it was a solid performance for both squads as they each got the upper hand at different points of the dual. One player to note in this match is junior Fuka Nonoyama, as she continued her streak of conference success as she is 5-0 in conference singles play. 

UCA 2 Liberty 5

Doubles:

No. 1 Chunxi Xin/Fuka Nonoyama vs. Romero/Soli 7-5

No. 2 Yada Vasuponchai/Mei Ishimura vs. Rogers/Saraty 6-7

No. 3 Sumomo Hamanaga/Maja Gledic vs. Nguyen/Ode Mitre 4-6

Singles:

No. 1 Xin vs. Romero 6-2, 6-2

No. 2 Nonoyama vs. Soli 6-2, 7-6

No. 3 Jaeun Lee vs. Almborg 7-5, 6-4

No. 4 Vasupongchai vs. Lovato 6-2, 6-1

No. 5 Hamanga vs. Nguyen 6-4, 7-5

No. 6 Gledic vs. Ode Mitre 4-6, 6-1, 6-2

Next, the Bears are back on the road as they have a tough trip in Florida on the horizon. UCA will do battle with Stetson at 10 a.m. ET on Friday in Deland and then head to North Florida to faceoff against the Ospreys at 11 a.m. ET on Sunday in Jacksonville.