The Sooners improve to 6-1 in Big 12 play Friday with its first win over A&M in 12 seasons.
April 8, 2011
COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The 22nd-ranked Oklahoma women’s tennis team defeated No. 33 Texas A&M, 4-3, Friday in College Station for the first time since the 1999 season.
Oklahoma (14-4, 6-1 Big 12) snapped a 13-match losing streak to the Aggies with its win Friday. With the win, the Sooners won their 10th match over a ranked opponent this season.
“The girls battled really hard today and I could not be more proud of the team,” OU Head Coach David Mullins said. “This is another huge win for our program this year and we are looking forward to taking on Texas on Sunday.”
OU won the doubles point for the 15th time this season after sweeping A&M in doubles play to start the match.
“Our energy and discipline in double was incredible,” Mullins added.
Freshmen Mia Lancaster and Whitney Ritchie won OU’s first doubles match at the No. 2 position, defeating A&M’s Morgan Frank and Nazari Urbina, 8-4.
OU’s 66th-ranked duo, Ana-Maria Constantinescu and Alice Radu, clinched the doubles point win after defeating A&M’s Cuthbertson and Christi Liles at the No. 1 spot, 8-5.
Tara Eckel and Marie-Pier Huet completed the sweep for the Sooners with their 8-6 win over A&M’s Stephanie Davidson and Sheri Olivier at the No. 3 spot.
OU won the first three singles matches to clinch the win over Texas A&M, with victories at the No. 4, No. 5 and No. 6 spots.
Huet won OU’s first singles point at the No. 4 to give the Sooners a 2-0 lead over the Aggies. The junior defeated Christi Potgieter of A&M in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4.
Senior Maria Kalashnikova boosted OU’s lead to 3-0 with her win over A&M’s Lauren Santacroce at the No. 6 spot, 7-6 (4), 6-0.
Lancaster clinched OU’s win over the Aggies, winning the Sooners’ fourth match point. Lancaster defeated A&M’s Davidson at the No. 5 position, 6-3, 6-2.
Even though OU had secured the win with its four match points, A&M won the final three singles matches to keep the match close.
A&M’s 34th-ranked Urbina defeated Constantinescu at the No. 1 spot, 6-7 (8), 7-5, 1-0 (5), OU freshman Radu lost to Frank, 7-6 (4), 6-3, at the No. 2 spot while Ritchie fell to Liles at the No. 3 position, 6-2, 6-3.
The Sooners face No. 25 Texas on Sunday, April 10 at noon in Austin, Texas.
No. 22 Oklahoma 4, No. 33 Texas A&M 3
Doubles
1. No. 66 Constantinescu/Radu (OU) def. Cuthbertson/Liles (TAMU), 8-5
2. M. Lancaster/Ritchie (OU) def. Frank/Urbina (TAMU), 8-4
3. Eckel/Huet (OU) def. Davidson/Sheri Olivier (TAMU), 8-6
Singles
1. No. 34 Nazari Urbina (TAMU) def. No. 102 Ana-Maria Constantinescu (OU), 6-7 (8), 7-5, 1-0 (5)
2. Morgan Frank (TAMU) def. Alice Radu (OU), 7-6 (4), 6-3
3. Christi Liles (TAMU) def. Whitney Ritchie (OU), 6-2, 6-3
4. Marie-Pier Huet (OU) def. Christi Potgieter (TAMU), 6-3, 6-4
5. Mia Lancaster (OU) def. Stephanie Davidson (TAMU), 6-3, 6-2
6. Maria Kalashnikova (OU) def. Lauren Santacroce (TAMU), 7-6 (4), 6-0
