CONWAY, Ark. – The University of Central Arkansas tennis program returns home after an unexpected trip to Arkadelphia, where they took down Ouachita Baptist 6-1. The Bears will take on Murray State and Southern Arkansas before ASUN play begins next weekend.
UCA elected to postpone their match with Oral Roberts due to weather conditions, and use the indoor courts at OBU. The unprecedented change didn't spell doom for the underclassmen Bears, as they swept the doubles matches and won each singles match that they played in, with one forfeit. With the win, UCA sits at 6-4 on the year. The Friday victory also was the third in a row for UCA and their sixth victory in the last seven matches.
The doubles pairing of Sumomo Hamanaga and Konomi Miyakawa continue to play very well together, winning in Arkadelphia 6-3. It was their third straight victory as a pairing, dating back to the first game against Arkansas Tech.
The Murray State Racers come in at 4-6 and are coached by Jorge Caetano. MSU is coming off a loss to South Alabama in Birmingham. The Bears are 3-4 all-time against the Racers, with the last match coming in February of 2020, a 5-2 defeat. Additionally, the Bears are 1-1 at home against Murray State, so UCA looks to get the upper hand there. This weekend will be a good opportunity to even the all-time series with Murray State.
Southern Arkansas comes into Conway with a 2-7 record on the year, with a recent 6-1 loss to Angelo State University in Lawton, Oklahoma. The Muleriders, led by head coach Greg Owen, have dropped five straight games. The Bears and Muleriders have only met one time prior to Friday, a 5-2 UCA victory in April of 2021. UCA looks to go 2-0 all-time against Southern Arkansas and score a nice home victory.
UCA will face Murray State on Friday, March 3rd at 8:30 a.m. at the Hendrix indoor tennis courts, and then will take on Southern Arkansas on Saturday, March 4th at 1:00 p.m. at the UCA tennis courts.
