This article originally appeared on January 17, 2014 on The Arkansas Traveler website, uatrav.com.
The Arkansas women’s tennis team found itself in unfamiliar territory last season.
After making the NCAA Tournament five consecutive years, the Razorbacks were left out of it after a season that ended with a 13-15 overall record and a 4-9 record in Southeastern Conference play.
Contributing to Arkansas’ struggles was the fact that seven of its nine athletes were freshmen. Only one senior played and the other athlete was a sophomore.
“It was completely invaluable to have our young team gain so much experience,” head coach Michael Hegarty said. “It was a rebuilding year, but we expect to get back this year.”
Last year’s freshman class was rated as the No. 12 class in the country, according to TennisRecruiting.net, and five of them are back this season as sophomores.
The class was highlighted by sophomore Yang Pang, who reached the NCAA Singles Tournament as a freshman last season.
Pang was eliminated in the first round of the tournament, but she lost to the eventual National Champion, Stanford’s Nicole Gibbs. Enroute to the championship, Gibbs never dropped a set, but the nine games won by Pang in the first round gave Gibbs her toughest match of the tournament.
“Making (the NCAA Tournament) as a freshman is remarkable,” Hegarty said. “She opened up a lot of eyes at the NCAA Tournament.”
Along with Pang, Hegarty said he expects the rest of last year’s class to improve this season, as well.
In particular, sophomore Kimberley-Ann Surin is primed for a good year, Hegarty said. As a freshman, Surin was 7-14, but ended the season on a three-match winning streak.
“Surin has an opportunity to have a breakout season this year,” Hegarty said. “It’s a perfect time for her to come out of the shadows.”
While the sophomores headline the team, there are also two freshmen and one junior on the roster.
One of the freshmen, Shannon Hudson, is already ranked No. 115 individually, out of about 5,000 players, after going 7-2 during the fall season.
“Shannon Hudson was a blue-chip recruit and exploded this fall,” Hegarty said. “We expect a lot of exciting things from her.”
The Razorbacks begin their season Sunday against Wichita State, a perennial powerhouse in the Missouri Valley Conference. The Shockers have won five consecutive MVC Championships and seven in the last eight years.
Coming into the match, Arkansas is No. 51 in the preseason poll, while Wichita State is unranked. Despite not being ranked, Hegarty said he views the Shockers as a quality opponent and a potential resume-builder for the NCAA Tournament down the road.
“We’re going to see some new things,” Hegarty said. “We want to learn as much as we can, as quickly as we can. I like a stiff challenge in the first match.”
Arkansas also has nonconference matches against No. 27 Purdue, No. 29 Oklahoma State, No. 34 Oklahoma, No. 55 Kansas State and No. 60 North Texas.
This tough slate will prepare the Razorbacks for SEC play, as six teams are ranked in the top 25, including No. 2 Florida, No. 4 Georgia and No. 7 Texas A&M.
The SEC also has four other teams in the top 45.
“That’s very normal for our conference,” Hegarty said. “We love being in the best conference in the country. That means we’ll be tested more than any other team in the nation and it prepares you for the postseason.”
The Razorbacks’ match against Wichita State starts at 10 a.m. Sunday in Fayetteville.
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