CONWAY, Ark. – The University of Central Arkansas tennis team is all set to take on another week of ASUN action, starting at home against Austin Peay, and then a weekend match against Bellarmine. UCA has won three matches in a row, including two ASUN matches to even their conference mark to 2-2 and the Bears come into this weekend with a 10-8 record on the year.
UCA took down two ASUN opponents at home this past weekend, a solid showing against Eastern Kentucky, and a dominant match against Queens. Vichitraporn Vimuktananda went 2-1 last week, including a hard-fought loss to the No. 1 player for Queens, to make the Sophomore's record 12-4 coming into this weekend, all in the No. 1 spot for the Bears, an impressive feat. Freshman Harune Shigemasu stepped up into the No. 4 spot for the Bears against Queens, the second time she has done that this season, and both times, she pulled out the win. Shigemasu is not the only young Bear that has seen some early, as Seohyun Park has won each of her last three opportunities, including last weekend against Queens.
UCA will continue its homestand against the Austin Peay Governors on Thursday. The Govs come into this week's matchup with an 8-6 record, including a midweek win over Bellarmine on Tuesday. Austin Peay is out to a pretty impressive start to ASUN play, sitting at third in the conference standings with a 4-1 record thus far. The Govs have taken down EKU, Queens, Florida Gulf Coast, and the Bellarmine, all with a score of 6-1. APSU's lone conference loss came to Stetson, who is tied with Kennesaw State for the lead in the conference. The Bears and Govs have a nice thing going, as the two programs have met every year dating back to 2018, with the Governors leading the series 4-2. UCA will look to avenge a home loss from last season.
The Bears will then hit the road up to the Bluegrass State to take on the Bellarmine Knights on Saturday. The Knights are out to a 9-12 start to the year, with many of those losses coming to some big-time programs. This year Bellarmine has losses to Indiana, Wake Forest, Tennessee, and Mississippi State. However, Bellarmine had a great decision go their way, as the Knights took down Louisville 4-3 earlier this year to get some bragging rights over their cross-town companions. Bellarmine is off to a 1-3 start to conference play, with the win coming over Queens, and defeats at the hands of EKU, Stetson, and Austin Peay. UCA has a spotless record over the Knights, winning the past two years, a close win last year in Louisville, and a big 6-1 win at home in the spring of 2022.
UCA starts things off this weekend on Thursday, March 28th at 11:00 a.m. against Austin Peay. The Bears then hit the road to take on Bellarmine in Louisville on Saturday, March 30th at 9:00 a.m. To keep up with all things Bears, follow @UCATennis on Twitter/X.
