University of Houston
Arkansas
Cougars Fall in Spring Opener at No. 36 Arkansas
1/16/2016 12:00:00 AM | Tennis
Fayetteville, Ark. â€" The No. 38 Houston Cougar Women's Tennis team opened the 2016 spring season by falling to the No. 36 Arkansas Razorbacks 6-1 on Saturday, in Fayetteville, Ark.
"It obviously wasn't the result we were looking for, but it was good to get back out on court and see everyone play finally," first year head coach Courtney Steinbock said. "We have a lot to work on, but I'm confident this team will bounce back and continue to improve and grow"
Houston got a doubles victory by the duo of Despoina Vogasari and Tina Rupert who defeated Arkansas' Makenzie Craft and Flavia Araujo 6-4. Vogasari improved to 26-15 in doubles play, while Rupert is now 24-10 during the spring.
However, the Cougars fell behind early in the match after Rocio Martin and Maria Cardenas were defeated by Mia Jurasic and Ana Oparenovic 0-6, while the duo of Mina Markovic and Angela Lorenzo dropped their doubles match 2-6.
Vogasari continued her strong start into singles competition. The No. 34 ranked player in the nation according to ITA's Oracle Rankings, Vogasari jumped out in front of Arkansas' Shannon Hudson with a 6-4 win in the first set, before dropping set two 2-6. Vogasari would respond with a 10-7 win in the tiebreaker to improve to 41-11 all-time in singles play during the spring and 66-20 overall.
On court five, sophomore Angela Lorenzo battled Sasha Shkorupeieva to a tiebreaker in the first set before eventually falling 6-7, 3-6, while on court two, Rupert dropped a hard-fought contest 2-6, 5-7 to Ana Oparenovic.
Martin and Cardenas wrapped up singles play for the Cougars with Martin falling 1-6, 1-6 on court four, while Cardenas dropped a close match to Agne Cepelyte 2-6, 4-6.
UP NEXT FOR HOUSTON
Houston heads back on the road to compete in the ITA Kick-of Weekend from April 22 to April 24 in Fort Worth, Texas. The Cougars will meet TCU in the first round, before matching up against either Ohio State or Pepperdine in the second round, depending on the Cougars' finish against TCU.
JOIN THE CENTER COURT CLUB
The Cougars are proud to introduce the Center Court Club, a restricted-giving program that directly impacts the needs of the University of Houston Tennis program. Gifts to the Center Court Club provide financial support directly to the University of Houston Tennis program for needs beyond the program's operating budget. Revenue generated from the Center Court Club is used at the discretion of the Head Coach for program enhancements. Membership in the Center Court Club is annual and requires a minimum $100 gift.
LEVELS OF GIVING
WINNER
For a minimum gift of $100, supporters receive a team poster and a signed tennis ball.
ACE
For a minimum gift of $500, supporters receive a team poster and a signed tennis ball, private practice invitation and a stadium blanket.
US OPEN
For a minimum gift of $1,000, supporters receive a team poster and a signed tennis ball, private practice invitation, a stadium blanket, fleece jacket and a lesson from the coach.
GRAND SLAM
For a minimum gift of $2,500, supporters receive a team poster and a signed tennis ball, private practice invitation, a stadium blanket, fleece jacket, a lesson from the coach and a group lesson from the coaching staff.
FOLLOW THE COUGARS!
Fans can keep up with the latest in University of Houston Cougar athletics by following us on Facebook (Facebook.com/HoustonAthletics), Twitter (@UHCougars), Instagram (houstoncougars) and YouTube.com (Youtube.com/UHAthletics). In addition, the women's tennis team has established its own official Facebook (Facebook.com/HoustonCougarTennis) and Twitter pages (@UHCougarTennis).
Players Mentioned
