Razorback Netters Fall to Oklahoma 4-3
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – No. 47 Arkansas lost the doubles point, but got off to a good start in singles before ultimately falling to #62 Oklahoma 4-3 at the Dills Indoor Tennis Center in Fayetteville.
The loss was the first for the Razorbacks (5-4) after previously winning four in a row. Sophomore Blake Strode won his singles match at No.1 over Andrei Daescu 6-2, 6-4. The victory improved 57th-ranked Strode to 14-4 on the year and 5-1 in dual matches.
At No.5, Dmitry Vlaskin won a hard-fought three set match over Sergey Avdeyev 6-4, 3-6, 3-4. Vlaskin won the match by default when the umpire halted the match due to repeated code violations by Avdeyev. The victory boosted the freshman’s record to 8-6 overall and 4-3 in dual matches.
Also notching a victory in three sets was fellow freshman and Moscow, Russia native Dmitry Lebedev. He hung on at No. 6 with a 6-3, 4-6, 7-6(2) win over Federico Chavarria for the Hogs’ third and final point.
Junior Colin Mascall fell at No.2 7-6(4), 6-3 to Sooner Vadlav Kucera. Razorback senior Andrei Nicoara lost at No.3 to 74th-ranked Marek Velicka 6-3, 6-3. Also losing was freshman Gabriel Mattos 6-3, 7-5 to Rob McKenzie.
Oklahoma claimed the doubles point by getting wins at No.1 and No.3. The tandem of Strode and Mascall was defeated by Chavarria and McKenzie 8-4 at No.1, and then Mattos and Nicoara fell at No.3 to Velicka and Avdeyev 8-4. The match at No.2 was suspended with the Sooners winning at 5-3.
Arkansas will have over a week off before traveling to Tulsa, Okla. next Saturday to take on the Tulsa Golden Hurricane. The match is slated to start at 4 p.m.
#62 Oklahoma 4, #47 Arkansas 3
February 9, 2007
Dills Indoor Tennis Center, Fayetteville, Ark.
Doubles
No. 1-Chavarria/McKenzie (Oklahoma) def. Strode/Mascall (Arkansas) 8-4
No. 2-Daescu/Kucera (Oklahoma) v. Villanueva/Vlaskin (Arkansas) 5-3 (susp.)
No. 3-Velicka/Avdeyev (Oklahoma) def. Mattos/Nicoara (Arkansas) 8-4
Singles
No. 1-#57 Blake Strode (Arkansas) def. Andrei Daescu (Oklahoma) 6-2, 6-4
No. 2-Vadlav Kucera (Oklahoma) def. Colin Mascall (Arkansas) 7-6(4), 6-3
No. 3-#74 Marek Velicka (Oklahoma) def. Andrei Nicoara (Arkansas) 6-3, 6-3
No. 4-Rob McKenzie (Oklahoma) def. Gabriel Mattos (Arkansas) 6-3, 7-5
No. 5-Dmitry Vlaskin (Arkansas) def. Sergey Avdeyev (Oklahoma) 6-4, 3-6, 3-4 (def.)
No. 6-Dmitry Lebedev (Arkansas) def. Federico Chavarria (Oklahoma) 6-3, 4-6, 7-6(2)
