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Jan. 25, 2003
EVANSTON, Ill. -
Fresh off its 2-0 start last weekend at Combe Tennis Center, Northwestern's men's tennis team heads south to Arkansas for its first road dual match of the season. The Wildcats and the No. 28 Razorbacks meet for the first time Sunday at noon, as NU assistant coach Jay Udwadia returns to his alma mater.
NU opened the dual season with a pair of 5-2 wins against Denver and Northern Illinois last weekend. Though they lost four of six doubles matches and both doubles points, Jackie Jenkins (College Park, Ga./Westlake) and Chuck Perrin (Atlanta, Ga./The Walker School) paired up for two impressive wins, including an 8-5 beating of the 20th ranked duo in the country (NIU's Juan Pablo Barriga and Erick Martinez). Jenkins and Perrin also picked up two singles each.
While Northern Illinois' strength was its doubles play, Arkansas presents a formidable singles lineup. Of UA's five returnees, Aleksey Bubis owns the best record (23-13) from last season. Bubis continued his strong play last fall, posting a 10-7 record and earning a No. 57 national ranking. Senior Eduardo Pacheco is ranked 104th in the country.
The trip to Arkansas will be a homecoming of sorts for Udwadia, a former UA player. Udwadia was a four-year letterwinner who helped lead the Razorbacks to three NCAA Tournament appearances.
The Razorbacks are off to another solid start with a 3-0 record. UA picked up wins at Tulsa, at No. 40 Indiana State and against Nebraska. Last year, Arkansas posted 15-10 record and a second-round appearance in the NCAA Tournament, where they lost to eventual nation champion Southern California.
The Wildcats are 13-19 against the Southeastern Conference, a league that currently has four teams ranked in the ITA top 10.