No. 51 Arkansas proved too difficult to handle in a double header matches that were highly contested. Shocker women’s tennis fell 4-2 and 4-3 in the two matches, respectively.

The teams switched the order of play in the first team match as they played singles first and in order to force doubles play the teams had to be tied at three match wins apiece.

Arkansas’ Shannon Hudson defeated WSU’s Julia Schiller (6-0, 6-0) to gives the Razorbacks an early 1-0 lead. The Shocks proved resilient all day as Abby Stevens tied the match at one with a victory over Brittany Huxley (6-1, 6-3). Arkansas regained the lead (2-1) with a hard fought win over Montse Blasco-Fernandez (6-2, 4-6, 10-7).

Lucia Kovalova tied the match at two apiece with a victory of her own (6-4, 3-6, 10-6). Arkansas went on to win the next two matches and avoid doubles play with wins by ‘sandra Shkorumpeieva over Satjaporn Mahajaroenkul (7-5, 7-6 (7-2)) and by Yang Pang over Rebecca Pedrazzi (6-7, 7-6, 10-6).

The second part of the double header started with doubles play instead of singles. In doubles, WSU and Arkansas were tied at one match apiece when Arkansas’ Shannon Hudson and Sarah McLean defeated Schiller and Stevens 4-3.

In singles play Hudson started the match off with a three-set win against Rebecca Pedrazzi (1-6, 6-2, 10-5) and Kimberley-Ann Surin defeated Blasco-Fernandez (6-3, 6-0) before WSU got their first point from Abby Stevens when she defeated Shkorunpeieva (6-1, 6-4). Arkansas clinched the match with a Huxley win over Mahajaroenkul (6-3, 7-6 (8-6)).

Wichita State won the last two points of the double header with a win from Schiller, at the one position, (4-6, 6-4, 10-2) over No. 71 ranked singles player Pang. Veronika Blaskova also put away her opponent McLean (6-3, 7-5).

WSU is next in action in another double-header on Saturday, Feb. 1 when they play against familiar ex-conference rival Creighton and UMKC in Kansas City, Mo.