The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
Arkansas
Lady Rebel Netters Fall To Arkansas In Marathon Match
4/2/2006 | Women's Tennis
April 2, 2006
OXFORD, Miss. - The Ole Miss women's tennis team fell to Arkansas in a marathon match that had to be moved indoors because of rain and lasted 7 ½ hours before Arkansas finally won it 4-3 on Senior Day.
The match came down to No. 6 singles, where Ole Miss' Mimi Renaudin and Arkansas' Karina Ledaja battled it out to a third set. Ledaja won the first set 6-3, but Renaudin came back to take the second set 6-4. In the final set, Renaudin got down a break but broke back for 4-4. She fought off eight game points on her serve, until Ledaja finally got the break and held for 6-4 to clinch the victory.
Once the match was resumed indoors at around 2 p.m., Ole Miss won an exciting doubles point. The Lady Rebels won a decisive match at No. 3 doubles, 8-3, but the other two they had to battle back in. Arkansas served for the match at No. 1 doubles, but Lady Rebels' Virginia Tomatis and Ilona Somers broke to even it at 7-7. They held serve and broke when Arkansas double faulted on match point to give the Lady Rebels a 1-0 lead.
In singles, the Lady Rebels won the first set on courts two and three and went to a tiebreaker on court one. Arkansas' Aurelija Miseviciute, ranked No. 23 in the nation, came out on top in the tiebreaker against Somers at No. 1 and then carried the momentum into the second set to win 6-2 and even the overall score.
At No. 2 singles, Lady Rebel freshman Kseniia Tokarieva looked to be in control, winning her first set against UA's Ela Kaluder, 6-3. But, Kaluder rallied to get the second set 7-5 and won the third 6-2 to make it 2-1 Arkansas.
The Lady Razorbacks went ahead 3-1 when Vlatka Jovanovic rallied to beat Tomatis in her final home match. Tomatis was able to win a first set tiebreaker 7-6 and then served to go up 5-3 in the second, but lost nine consecutive games to fall 6-4, 6-0 in the final two sets.
Nika Koukhartchouk defeated Maryori Franco in straight sets, 7-5, 6-2 at No. 4 singles, to pull the Lady Rebels within one (3-2).
Preethi Subramanian downed Lady Razorback Melissa Cornett 6-4, 6-2 at No. 5 singles to square the match at 3 and set up the final outcome.
The Lady Rebels will now hit the road for their final three conference matches, beginning with Tennessee Friday.
DOUBLES
#1 Tomatis/Somers (OM) def. Ledaja/Franco (ARK) 9-7
#2 Tokarieva/Koukhartchouk (OM) def. Miseviciute/Kaluder (ARK) 9-7
#3 Subramanian/Carlin Cochran (OM) def. Cornett/Jovanovic (ARK) 8-3
SINGLES
#1 Aurelija Miseviciute (ARK) def. Ilona Somers (OM) 7-6, 6-2
#2 Ela Kaluder (ARK) def. Kseniia Tokarieva (OM) 3-6, 7-5, 6-2
#3 Vlatka Jovanovic (ARK) def. Virginia Tomatis (OM) 6-7, 6-4, 6-0
#4 Nika Koukhartchouk (OM) def. Maryori Franco (ARK) 7-5, 6-2
#5 Preethi Subramanian (OM) def. Melissa Cornett (ARK) 6-4, 6-1
#6 Karina Ledaja (ARK) def. Mimi Renaudin (OM) 6-3, 4-6, 6-4
