Rice University
Oklahoma State
Cowboys Fend Off Owls Upset Bid
2/10/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Feb. 10, 2006
HOUSTON -- After 40th-ranked Rice won a thrilling doubles point, 22nd-ranked Oklahoma State won four of six in singles to take the team win 4-3 on Friday afternoon at the Downtown Club at the Met.
Ralph Knupfer and Filip Zivojinovic struck first for the Owls, dropping Felipe Diaz and Ivan Puchkarov 8-2 at number two doubles. The Cowboys evened things up with a win at number three as the action came down to the wire at number one. Rice's 37th-ranked tandem of Robert Searle and Tony Haerle and OSU's duo of Daniel and Nathan Byrnes battled to a 7-7 tie with both teams holding serve. The Owls broke the Cowboys serve to go up 8-7 and Searle served out for the 9-7 win, giving Rice the early 1-0 lead.
Knupfer added to the lead with a 6-1, 6-1 victory at number three singles against Diaz. The Cowboys responded with wins at one, four and five to take a 3-2 advantage. At number two singles, the Owls' Ben Harknett took the first set, then rallied back in the second frame to knot the team score with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Artsem Burmistrau. The Cowboys' Olexsander Kotsiuk held off a Jason Mok rally at number six for 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 win to secure the team win for Oklahoma State.
The Owls, now 4-2, return to action on Sunday when they host 30th-ranked Miami at noon at the Jake Hess Tennis Stadium.
Results
No. 22 Oklahoma State 4, No. 40 Rice 3
Doubles
1) No. 37 Haerle/Searle (RU) def. Byrnes/Byrnes (OSU), 9-7
2) Knupfer/Zivojinovic (RU) def. Diaz/Puchkarov (OSU), 8-2
3) Burmistrau/Bohunicky (OSU) def. Harknett/Rodrigo Gabriel (RU), 8-4
Singles
1) No. 27 Daniel Byrnes (OSU) def. No. 36 Robert Searle (RU), 6-3, 6-4
2) Ben Harknett (RU) def. Tomas Bohunicky (OSU), 6-4, 6-4
3) Ralph Knupfer (RU) def. Felipe Diaz (OSU), 6-1, 6-1
4) Ivan Puchkarov (OSU) def. Tony Haerle (RU), 7-5, 6-3
5) Arstem Burmistrau (OSU) def. Filip Zivojinovic (RU), 6-2, 6-1
6) Olexsander Kotsiuk (OSU) def. Jason Mok (RU), 6-3, 3-6, 6-1
Players Mentioned
