SMU
#31 Oklahoma State
SMU Drops Tight Match To Oklahoma State, 4-3
Mar 18 | Men's Tennis
DALLAS (SMU) - The No. 34 SMU Mustangs dropped a thrilling 4-3 match to No. 31 Oklahoma State on Wednesday at the Ann and Brad Brookshire Family Pavilion at the SMU Tennis Complex. The match was the second straight that SMU had played in against a ranked team that went the distance, after the Mustangs beat Cal Poly, 4-3, on Friday.
SMU (15-3) won the opening doubles point to take a 1-0 lead in the match. Freshman Samm Butler and sophomore Tony Russell won 6-3 at No. 3 doubles to improve to 9-2 on the season. SMU clinched the point with senior Arturs Kazijevs and sophomore Markus Kerner beating No. 16 Arjun Kadhe and Jakob Sude, 7-5. The top Cowboys duo own a win over now-No. 2 Hunter Reese and Mikelis Libietis of Tennessee earlier in the year.
SMU held a 3-1 match lead after Butler beat No. 122 Kadhe, at No. 3 singles and sophomore Arkadijs Slobodkins beat Nicolai Ferrigno at No. 5. Butler extended his unbeaten streak in singles to 13 matches and improved his overall record to 16-1, while Slobodkins has not lost in six matches.
The Cowboys rattled off the next two singles victories, tallying wins at the No. 1 and 6 positions. The match would be determined at No. 4 singles, between SMU junior and 110th-ranked Nate Lammons and Tristan Meraut. Lammons had won the first set 6-4, but Meraut bounced back in set 2, winning 6-3. Lammons and Meraut were tied 1-1 in the third set, and then Meraut picked up a break point in the third game to take a 2-1 set lead with the serve advantage. Meraut went on to win the set and clinch the match for Oklahoma State, 6-4.
SMU has now won all 15 possible doubles points this season. SMU is 32-5 overall in doubles play this year.
The Mustangs will play at Memphis on Saturday at 12 p.m. CT.
Tennis Match Results
Oklahoma State vs SMU
Mar 17, 2015 at Dallas, Texas
#31 Oklahoma State 4, #34 SMU 3
Singles competition
1. Lucas Gerch (OKST) def. Arturs Kazijevs (SMU) 7-6 (7-3), 6-3
2. #102 Jakob Sude (OKST) def. Markus Kerner (SMU) 6-4, 6-4
3. Samm Butler (SMU) def. #122 Arjun Kadhe (OKST) 6-4, 6-4
4. Tristan Meraut (OKST) def. #110 Nate Lammons (SMU) 4-6, 6-3, 6-4
5. Arkadijs Slobodkins (SMU) def. Nicolai Ferrigno (OKST) 6-3, 7-6
6. Jurence Mendoza (OKST) def. Charles Nettlefold (SMU) 6-0, 3-6, 6-2
Doubles competition
1. Arturs Kazijevs/Markus Kerner (SMU) def. #16 Arjun Kadhe/Jakob Sude (OKST) 7-5
2. Nate Lammons/Arkadijs Slobodkins (SMU) vs. Nicolai Ferrigno/Lucas Gerch (OKST) 6-5, unfinished
3. Samm Butler/Tony Russell (SMU) def. Tristan Meraut/Jurence Mendoza (OKST) 6-3
Match Notes:
Oklahoma State 13-3; National ranking #31
SMU 15-3; National ranking #34
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1); Singles (2,3,5,1,6,4)
T-2:57 A-119
