Oklahoma State University Athletics
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OSU Men's Tennis Upsets No. 17 Tennessee
January 25, 2015 | Cowboy Tennis
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The 24th-ranked Oklahoma State men's tennis team handed No. 17 Tennessee a 4-1 loss on Sunday in the consolation match of the ITA Kickoff Weekend in South Bend, Ind.
The Cowboys began the match with tough win in doubles. The competition was neck and neck as all courts were tied, 5-5, at one point. On court two, Lukas Finzelberg and Nicolai Ferrigno fell to No. 45 Smelyanski/Valero, 7-5, but the Cowboys recovered with a 7-5 win on court three from Lucas Gerch and Tristan Meraut. The doubles came down to court one, where No. 12 Jakob Sude and Arjun Kadhe knocked off the second-ranked and reigning NCAA doubles champions Mikelis Libietus and Hunter Reese, 7-6.
“The whole team was really anxious to play today after a close loss yesterday,” Kadhe said. “Doubles was really important and really close. It was nice for Jakob (Sude) and I to win at No. 1 doubles. We lost to them in a super tiebreak at the ITA All-American Championships this fall so it was good to get that win back. This is a good win for the team moving forward.”
The Cowboys took that momentum into singles, where they put up solid performances.
On court three, sophomore Lucas Gerch put away his opponent, Igor Smelyanski, in two quick sets, 6-0, 6-1. Gerch remains undefeated on the season with five wins.
Tennessee got its only win of the day on court one, where No. 16 Mikelis Libietis defeated Cowboy senior and 98th-ranked Jakob Sude, 6-3, 6-1.
Nicolai Ferrigno produced another straight-set win for the Pokes on court six, defeating Jess Jones, 6-4, 6-2. The Cowboy is now 2-1 in spring competition.
No. 74 Arjun Kadhe sealed the victory for OSU with a strong comeback performance. The All-American dropped his first set to Hunter Reese, 6-3, but quickly responded, dominating the Volunteer in the next two sets, 6-1, 6-0.
Play on courts four and five did not finish.
“After our hard loss yesterday to Notre Dame, coming back today to beat Tennessee was uplifting to the team,” coach Jay Udwadia said. “Tennessee is a tough opponent. I think we competed well in all spots of our lineup. I'm proud of the way our guys bounced back. I saw some good positives on the day, and we want to take that into next weekend.”
The Cowboys will travel to Minneapolis, Minn., next weekend to take on No. 49 Minnesota on Feb. 1.
No. 24 Oklahoma State 4, No. 17 Tennessee 1
Jan. 25, 2015 :: South Bend, Ind. :: Consolation match
Singles | Order of finish: 3, 1, 6, 2*
No. 1 – No. 16 Mikelis Libietis (TENN) def. No. 98 Jakob Sude (OSU) 6-3, 6-1
No. 2 – No. 74 Arjun Kadhe (OSU) def. Hunter Reese (TENN) 3-6, 6-1, 6-0
No. 3 – Lucas Gerch (OSU) def. Igor Smelyanski (TENN) 6-0, 6-1
No. 4 – Tristan Meraut (OSU) vs. Luis Valero (TENN), 3-6, 6-3, 4-1 unfinished
No. 5 – Lukas Finzelberg (OSU) vs. Jack Schipanski (TENN) 7-5, 5-4, unfinished
No. 6 – Nicolai Ferrigno (OSU) def. Jess Jones (TENN) 6-4, 6-2
Doubles | Order of finish: 2, 3, 1
No. 1 – No. 12 Sude/Kadhe (OSU) def. No. 2 Libietis/Reese (TENN) 7-6
No. 2 – No. 45 Smelyanski/Valero (TENN) def. Finzelberg/Ferrigno (OSU) 7-5 (9-7)
No. 3 –Meraut/Gerch (OSU) def. Dromsky/Schipanski (TENN) 7-5
