Jayhawks Fall to No. 40 Arkansas, 5-2, in Season Opener

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. —

Junior Edina Horvath and freshman Magdalena Torarczyk notched singles wins, and Horvath teamed with senior Elizaveta Avdeeva to defeat the nation’s 45th-ranked doubles tandem, but the University of Kansas tennis team came up short against No. 40 Arkansas, 5-2, Saturday afternoon in its season opener.

Torarczyk, a late signee who joined the team after the fall season, improved her singles record to 4-0, which included three wins at the Hawaii Spring Invitational last month. The freshman defeated Arkansas’ Maryori Franco, 4-6, 7-6 (5), 1-0 (5) in the No. 2 match.

Horvath, who entered the dual with six singles victories — the team’s second highest — won her match in the No. 4 position against the Lady Backs’ Delia Damaschin, 6-4, 3-6, 1-0 (5).

The Jayhawks fell in each of the other four singles matches in straight sets.

All-Big 12 doubles selections a season ago, Avdeeva and Horvath, who won 23 matches in 2006-07, picked up a statement win over AU’s tandem of Maryori Franco and Nanar Airapetian, 8-6. The victory was the pair’s team-leading eighth this season and marked KU’s first against a ranked doubles team during the 2007-08 campaign.

Kansas will look to rebound on Sunday when it travels to No. 44 Tulsa. The match is slated to get underway at 1 p.m.

Results

Doubles

1. Elizaveta Avdeeva/Edina Horvath (KU) def. #45 Maryori Franco/Nanar Airapetian (UA), 8-6.

2. Audrey Bordeleau/Anouk Tigu (UA) def. Kinigunda Dorn/Yuliana Svistun (KU), 8-2.

3. Ela Kaluder/Delia Damaschin (UA) def. Lauren Hommell/Magdalena Tokarczyk (KU), 8-5.

Singles

1. Ela Kaluder (UA) def. Elizaveta Avdeeva (KU), 6-2, 6-3.

2. Magdalena Tokarczyk (KU) def. Maryori Franco (UA), 4-6, 7-6 (5), 1-0 (10-5).

3. Anouk Tigu (UA) def. Kinigunda Dorn (KU), 6-1, 6-2.

4. Edina Horvath (KU) def. Delia Damaschin (UA), 6-4, 3-6, 1-0 (10-5).

5. Audrey Bordeleau (UA) def. Yuliana Svistun (KU), 6-1, 6-2.

6. Nanar Airpetian (UA) def. Stephanie Smith (KU), 6-3, 6-3.