Feb. 17, 2012
Final Stats
TULSA, Okla. - The No. 23-ranked University of Tulsa men's tennis team took down No. 72 Arkansas 6-1 Friday night inside Case Tennis Center.
The Golden Hurricane (5-5) took a hard-fought doubles point and won five of six singles matches over the Razorbacks (6-2). The win was the third in a row for TU overall and the sixth-straight over Arkansas.
"The score doesn't tell the whole story tonight. Arkansas is a team that's going to make a lot of noise once they get into SEC play," Tulsa Head Coach Vince Westbrook said. "That was a tough battle for us. Arkansas is a young, talented team that I fully expect to vault up the rankings and be in the NCAA Tournament at the end of the year."
Doubles began with a victory for Tulsa's new pair of junior
Grant Ive and freshman
Alejandro Sanchez. The duo won their first match together on the second court with an 8-4 triumph over Gregoire Lehmann and Nikolas Zogaj.
The other two courts were in tight matches, and the Golden Hurricane secured the doubles point after the No. 3-ranked team of senior Ashley Watling and junior Clifford Marsland were able to top Matt Walters and Hall Fess 9-8 (7-2) at the top of the lineup.
Sophomore Japie De Klerk and freshman Lucian Gheorghe were unable to make it a clean sweep, as they fell to Manfred Jeske and Michael Nott 9-8 (7-5) on the third court.
Tulsa struggled early on all six singles courts, but the home team was able to battle back against the feisty Razorbacks and start collecting victories.
The first point came on the second court, when No. 63-ranked Marsland topped Zogaj 7-5, 6-1.
De Klerk gave Tulsa a 3-0 lead after he dropped Lehmann 6-4, 6-3 at the first flight, and Ive secured the team victory for the home side after he disposed of Walters 6-7 (2-7), 6-1, 6-2 on court 3.
TU was able to add to its lead after wrapping up its third-straight win.
Gheorghe defeated Nott 7-5, 6-4 at the fifth position and Sanchez put Tulsa ahead 6-0 with a 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 win over Fess at six singles.
Arkansas picked up its lone point of the match at No. 4 singles, when Mike Ward defeated Conference USA Men's Tennis Athlete of the Week Tristan Jackson 6-7 (4-7), 6-4, 1-0 (10-4).
The Golden Hurricane will take a week off before playing host to No. 12 Pepperdine. This will be the seventh top-25 team to enter the Case Tennis Center this season.
Tennis Match Results
Feb 17, 2012 at Tulsa, Okla.
(Case Tennis Center)
#23 Tulsa 6, #72 Arkansas 1
Singles competition
1. Japie De Klerk (TLS) def. Gregoire Lehmann (ARK) 6-4, 6-3
2. #63 Clifford Marsland (TLS) def. Nikolas Zogaj (ARK) 7-5, 6-1
3. Grant Ive (TLS) def. Matt Walters (ARK) 6-7 (2-7), 6-1, 6-2
4. Mike Ward (ARK) def. Tristan Jackson (TLS) 6-7 (4-7), 6-4, 1-0 (10-4)
5. Lucian Gheorghe (TLS) def. Michael Nott (ARK) 7-5, 6-4
6. Alejandro Sanchez (TLS) def. Hall Fess (ARK) 2-6, 6-4, 6-4
Doubles competition
1. #3 Ashley Watling/Clifford Marsland (TLS) def. Matt Walters/Hall Fess (ARK) 9-8 (7-2)
2. Grant Ive/Alejandro Sanchez (TLS) def. Gregoire Lehmann/Nikolas Zogaj (ARK) 8-4
3. Manfred Jeske/Michael Nott (ARK) def. Japie De Klerk/Lucian Gheorghe (TLS) 9-8 (7-5)
Match Notes:
Arkansas 6-2; National ranking #72
Tulsa 5-5; National ranking #23
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1,3); Singles (2,1,3,5,6,4)
In eight years as a member of Conference USA, Tulsa athletic teams have won a league-best 48 conference championships.
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Since the opening of the Donald W. Reynolds Center in 1998, Tulsa’s athletic facilities have undergone a major facelift. New facilities include the Michael D. Case Tennis Center, the Collins Family Softball Complex, the Hurricane Soccer and Track Stadium, the J. Bird Sr. Shell Nest, the Jack Zink Indoor Rowing Center, the Case Athletic Complex and major renovation to H.A. Chapman Stadium.
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