CONWAY, Ark. – The University of Central Arkansas tennis program had a gritty performance on Friday afternoon to set ASUN play started off right, taking down North Alabama, 6-1. UCA improved its record to 7-5 and 1-0 in the ASUN.

While the weather was perhaps the hottest it had been all season for the Bears, they gutted through and found a way to jump out to a 1-0 conference record. UCA started out with dominant doubles matches from Sumomo Hamanaga and Konomi Miyakawa and Jaeun Lee and Nicole Ross. Hamanaga and Miyakawa moved to 4-0 on the season as a tandem, while Lee and Ross evened their record at 4-4.

UCA then opened singles play with a dominant showing by Freshmen Vichitraporn Vimuktananda and Ting-An Chen. With the wins, Chen moves to 6-4 and Vimuktananda moves to 5-3 on the year, excellent marks from two first-year players who have shown strides all season. Another freshman in Nanoka Kazama broke through with a two set win in relative ease, bouncing back nicely from a loss last week. Lee and Miyakawa both fought in grueling matches with a few tiebreakers and took two impressive matches that helped seal the win.

UCA 6 UNA 1

Doubles:

Kazama / Vimuktananda vs. Talieu/Josic Unfinished

Hamanaga / Miyakawa vs. Paladini/San Miguel 6-1

Ross / Lee vs. Rielly/Going 6-2

Singles:

Lee vs. Talieu 2-6, 6-4, 1(10)-0(6)

Vimuktananda vs. Paladini 6-2, 6-3

Hamanaga vs. Going 6-4, 6-2

Kazama vs. San Miguel 6-2, 6-4

Miyakawa vs. Josic 7-6, 7(7)-6(4)

Chen vs. Reilly 6-1, 6-1

The Bears will be back in action Sunday, March 12 at 11:00 a.m. to take on the Jacksonville State Gamecocks, for their second ASUN game of the season.