FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – After clinching the match win against No. 39 Vanderbilt over the weekend, Arkansas graduate Tatum Rice earns her first SEC Player of the Week honor, announced by the league office on Wednesday. Rice becomes the second Arkansas player to be awarded the honor this season.
Rice clinched the match win for Arkansas over No. 39 Vanderbilt, coming back to win back-to-back sets over No. 46 Anna Ross on court one for her first ranked win of the dual season. In the win over No. 43 Kentucky, Rice took down No. 108 Carlota Molina to help lead Arkansas to its best start in SEC play since 2017. Arkansas is now 10-3 overall, winning six straight matches and going 3-0 in conference play.
In doubles, the No. 28 duo of Rice and her partner Morgan Cross helped to secure the doubles point over Kentucky. The duo did not drop a single game in doubles play this weekend. Arkansas has now won the doubles point in six straight matches and in each of its ten wins.
The duo improves to 8-1 this dual season and 18-4 overall, winning four straight and going 2-1 against nationally-ranked opponents. Rice and Cross were leading Vanderbilt’s No. 78 duo 5-0 before the doubles point was clinched.
Rice and the Razorbacks continue the dual season when they return home for a pair of SEC matches against No. 45 South Carolina on Friday, March 18 and No. 16 Florida on Sunday, March 20.
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