Senior Anouk Tigu is the captain for an Arkansas women's tennis team that will face Sacramento State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on May 14. PHOTO: UA Media Relations.

Anouk Tigu is leading a streaking Arkansas tennis team into the NCAA Tournament.

The lone senior on the team, Tigu’s dominating finish to the regular season helped the Razorbacks host a regional. She finished the season on a six-match winning streak, capturing eight of 10 matches overall.

“She came back from Christmas break strong,” Arkansas head coach Michael Hegarty said. “She came back stronger than expected, and it showed down the stretch.”

Tigu plays No. 1 singles for the No. 21 Razorbacks, so she faces the opposing team’s toughest player each match. The daunting competition hasn’t seem to affect Tigu.

She compiled a 24-9 record over the season, one of the best in school history.

“Being a senior hasn’t really define me as a captain,” Anouk said. “We’re a strong team, and since I’ve been here, other underclassmen have been just as important.”

Since arriving on campus as a freshman in 2007, Tigu became a rising force on the college circuit. In just her first season, she helped Arkansas reach the NCAA Tournament Elite 8 by clinching the win over No. 2 Georgia. As a sophomore and junior, she posted back-to-back 20-plus win seasons, rising as high as No. 29 in the individual rankings.

“She’s really helped this team stay on course,” Hegarty said. “Her steady play helped us when we had a tough stretch in conference play. We had tough competition early against No. 2 Notre Dame and No. 1 Stanford, and her steady play provided confidence for the team.”

Arkansas is one of 16 national hosts and will host play at the Billingsley Center.

Tournament seeding is similar to college basketball in selection style — 64 teams are invited by the same qualifications. Conference Tournament winners get an automatic bid while the rest are taken at-large.

“This season has been good,” Tigu said. “Not the perfect season and not always what I wanted, but it would good for us to play well in the tournament. Making the Sweet 16 would be good, since we haven’t been there since my freshman year.”

Arkansas played against tough competition in both conference and nonconference play, preparing the Razorbacks for the NCAA Tournament. At the beginning of the season, the Razorbacks beat No. 2 Notre Dame. Following the win, they were narrowly edged out by then No. 1 Stanford and later by No. 1 Florida.

“Our schedule really provided the turning point,” Hegarty said. “When we beat Notre Dame, I knew what to expect from our team and they delivered.”