MEN’S TENNIS DROPS SECOND STRAIGHT HEARTBREAKER TO A RANKED OPPONENT, FALLING 4-3 TO #30 OKLAHOMA STATE

2/6/2010

TULSA, Okla. – Oklahoma State overcame a 3-0 deficit by winning four straight singles matches and knocking off Sacramento State, 4-3, in a non-conference men’s tennis match Saturday evening at the Case Tennis Center.

Today marked the second 4-3 loss to a ranked opponent in as many days for Sacramento State (3-4) as the team fell to host and 31st-ranked Tulsa yesterday. The loss also marked the second straight year Sacramento State has fallen to Oklahoma State by a 4-3 score. Last year’s match also took place at Tulsa’s indoor facility.

With the victory, Oklahoma State improved to 2-2 on the young season.

Sacramento State began the match by winning the doubles points as the Hornets’ No. 1 tandem of Kiryl Harbatsiuk/Anton Stryhas and No. 2 Jason Smith/Holden Ching each knocked off ranked opponents. Stryhas and Harbatsiuk beat the 15th-ranked doubles team in the nation, 9-8 (7-4). Ching and Smith beat the 39th ranked team by a score of 8-5.

Smith then gave the Hornets a 2-0 lead at No. 3 singles by routing Oklahoma State’s Ilija Martinoski by a score of 6-0, 6-1. Harbatsiuk increased Sacramento State’s lead to 3-0 after he knocked off 44th ranked Anton Bobytskyi at No. 2 by a score of 6-2, 6-0.

Oklahoma State quickly got within, 3-2, with victories at No. 5 and No. 6 by Eric West (6-1, 6-2) and Maxi Kuhn (6-2, 6-3), respectively. The Cowboys’ Aleksey Bessonov then knocked off Marko Starcevic at No. 4 (6-0, 4-6, 6-1) to tie the score at 3-3.

The final match of the day came at No. 1 where 15th ranked Oleksandr Nedovyesov of Oklahoma State and Stryhas, who was the 2008 Big Sky Conference MVP, were battling.

After dropping the first set, 6-3, Stryhas was locked in a dual while trying to force a third set. With the score tied, 5-5, and Stryhas on serve with a 15-love lead, Nedovyesov hit a ball that appeared to be out on the video and Stryhas called it wide for what he thought was a 30-love lead. However, the chair umpire overruled Stryhas and the score was tied at 15-15 instead. Stryhas, who was noticeably aggravated by the overrule, would win just one point the rest of the match and eventually lost.

The Hornets, who have now lost to three opponents ranked in the top 31 this season (including ninth-ranked Stanford), do not play again until Feb. 27. Sacramento State will play a doubleheader on the 27th with a pair of matches in Bozeman against both Montana State and Utah State.

Tennis Match Results
Sacramento State vs Oklahoma State
Feb 6, 2010 at Tulsa, Okla.
(Case Tennis Center)

#30 Oklahoma State 4, Sacramento State 3

Singles competition
1. #15 Oleksandr Nedovyesov (OSU) def. STRYHAS, Anton (SAC) 6-3, 7-5
2. HARBATSIUK, Kiryl (SAC) def. #44 Anton Bobytskyi (OSU) 6-2, 6-0
3. SMITH, Jason (SAC) def. Ilija Martinoski (OSU) 6-0, 6-1
4. Aleksey Bessonov (OSU) def. STARCEVIC, Marko (SAC) 6-0, 4-6, 6-1
5. Eric West (OSU) def. CHING, Holden (SAC) 6-1, 6-2
6. Maxi Kuhn (OSU) def. LANTIN, Tim (SAC) 6-2, 6-3

Doubles competition
1. HARBATSIUK, Kiryl/STRYHAS, Anton (SAC) def. #15 Oleksandr Nedovyesov/Aleksey Bessonov (OSU) 9-8 (7-4)
2. SMITH, Jason/CHING, Holden (SAC) def. #39 Anton Bobytskyi/Eric West (OSU) 8-5
3. Maxi Kuhn/Ilija Martinoski (OSU) def. LANTIN, Tim/STARCEVIC, Marko (SAC) 8-3

Match Notes:
Sacramento State 3-4
Oklahoma State 2-2; National ranking #30
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2,1); Singles (3,2,5,6,4,1)