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Feb. 26, 2011

MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The 22nd-ranked Oklahoma women’s tennis team lost in the semifinals of the 2011 Blue Gray Tournament Saturday, the third-seeded Sooners fell to No. 2 seed and 19th-ranked Notre Dame, 4-1.

“We gave ourselves a chance today but we were going to have to be perfect to get four points,” OU Head Coach David Mullins said.

Oklahoma (6-2) fell behind early after losing its second doubles point all season to the Irish.  OU dropped matches at both the No. 1 and No. 2 doubles position to give Notre Dame the 1-0 lead.

The Sooners won at the No. 3 doubles position, Tara Eckel and Marie Pier-Huet defeated Notre Dame’s  Jennifer Kellner and Julie Sabacinski, 8-4.

“We had some opportunities but Notre Dame executed on the points that really mattered,” Mullins added.

Notre Dame claimed three singles matches to clinch the win and advance to Sunday’s championship match. 

Freshman Mia Lancaster won OU’s only dual match point after winning at the No. 6 singles position.  Lancaster topped Notre Dame’s Sabacinski in a close match, 7-5, 7-5.

The loss was only OU’s second loss of the season, with both losses coming to top 20 teams.  OU’s only other loss this year was to defending national champion and top-ranked Stanford.

“It is good to know that our program is now at a level that can compete with teams like Notre Dame,” Mullins said. “It, again, shows how far we have come.”

The Sooners will play No. 43 Ohio State in the consolation round on Sunday, Feb. 27 at 11 a.m. (CT).

No. 19 Notre Dame 4, No. 22 Oklahoma 1
Doubles
1. Frilling/Matthews (ND) def. No. 56 Constantinescu/Radu (OU), 8-4
2. McGaffigan/Rafael (ND) def. Ritchie/Lancaster (OU), 8-5
3. Eckel/Huet (OU) def. Kellner/Sabacinski (ND), 8-4

Singles
1. Kristy Frilling (ND) def. Ana-Maria Constantinescu (OU), 2-6, 7-5, 7-5
2. Alice Radu (OU) vs. Shannon Mathews (ND) – DNF
3. Whitney Ritchie (OU) vs. Kristen Rafael (ND) – DNF
4. Kellner (ND) def. Marie-Pier Huet (OU), 6-2, 7-6
5. Chrissie McGaffigan (ND) def. Maria Kalashnikova (OU), 6-1, 6-1
6. Mia Lancaster (OU) def. Julie Sabacinski (ND), 7-5, 7-5