The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Oklahoma
Women's Tennis knocks off Oklahoma, 6-1
04.03.2010 | Women's Tennis
April 3, 2010
NORMAN, Okla. -- No. 36 Texas (9-4, 5-1 Big 12) came out aggressively in doubles play and maintained its momentum in singles action, as the Longhorns posted a 6-1 victory over No. 31 Oklahoma (12-3, 3-2 Big 12) Saturday afternoon at OU's Headington Family Tennis Center.
UT posted victories at the second and third doubles positions to clinch the doubles point. Junior Amanda Craddock and sophomore Krista Damico opened with an 8-3 win at the second slot over OU's Tara Eckel and Marie-Pier Huet. The Horns locked up the doubles point at the third slot, where senior Sarah Lancaster and junior Caroline Larsson dealt Maria Kalashnikova and Kristina Radan an 8-6 defeat. UT's Vanja Corovic and Aeriel Ellis saved multiple match points in a tiebreaker at first doubles against OU's Ana-Maria Constantinescu and Teona Tsertsvadze, but the Sooners' duo prevailed in the tiebreaker, 12-10.
The Longhorns posted a pair of straight-set victories at the fifth and third slots to assume a 3-0 lead. Lancaster led off the singles session with a 6-1, 6-3 win over OU's Radan at fifth singles, and Damico tacked on to the lead with a 6-3, 6-1 win over Tsertsvadze at third singles.
At second singles, UT's Vanja Corovic took the first set off of OU's Huet, 6-2, but Huet rallied to take the second set, 6-1. Corovic surrendered nothing in the final set, as she posted a 6-0 third-set win to win the match and provide the match-clinching point for the Longhorns.
OU got on the board with a win at fourth singles, but Texas would close out the match with victories at the sixth and first singles positions. Texas junior Maggie Mello outlasted OU's Eckel at sixth singles, 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, and UT's 28th-ranked Ellis topped OU's Constantinescu, the 2009 Big 12 Conference Player of the Year, 6-4, 5-7, 6-3. Texas heads out of conference on Saturday, April 4 when it hosts No. 4 Northwestern. First serve is set for 2 p.m. Central at UT's Penick-Allison Tennis Center.
POST-MATCH COMMENTS
Texas head coach Patty Fendick-McCain
"It was a hard-fought match. It was great to come out and win the doubles. We've been playing really solid doubles the last couple of weeks. It was nice to see the ladies get it together and get that doubles point. We need to get a little better at finishing strong. We're getting those nice early jumps in the matches and the team is fighting really hard to do that, though I'd like to see us finish strong and shut the door when we have our chances. But, this was a great win today."
Texas 6, Oklahoma 1
Doubles - Order of Finish: 2, 3, 1
1. No. 29 Ana-Maria Constantinescu/Teona Tsertsvadze (OU) def. No. 47 Corovic/Ellis (UT), 9-8 (10)
2. Craddock/Damico (UT) def. Tara Eckel/Marie-Pier Huet (OU), 8-3
3. Lancaster/Larsson (UT) def. Maria Kalashnikova/Kristina Radan (OU), 8-6
Singles - Order of Finish: 5, 3, 2*, 4, 6, 1
1. No. 28 Aeriel Ellis (UT) def. No. 93 Ana-Maria Constantinescu (OU), 6-4, 5-7, 6-3
2. No. 60 Vanja Corovic (UT) def. Marie-Pier Huet (OU), 6-2, 1-6, 6-0
3. No. 46 Krista Damico (UT) def. Teona Tsertsvadze (OU), 6-3, 6-1
4. Maria Kalashnikova (OU) def. Caroline Larsson (UT), 7-5, 6-3
5. Sarah Lancaster (UT) def. Kristina Radan (OU), 6-1, 6-3
6. Maggie Mello (UT) def. Tara Eckel (OU), 6-4, 3-6, 6-1
