Univ. of Texas at Austin Team Page
AUSTIN, Texas - No. 39 Texas (6-7, 2-0 Big 12) won a hard-fought doubles point and claimed five of six matches on its way to a 6-1 victory over No. 28 Oklahoma State (7-3, 1-1 Big 12) Sunday afternoon at UT's Penick-Allison Tennis Center.
Texas opened the doubles session by claiming a tightly-contested doubles point. The Longhorns' 19th-ranked tandem of Breaunna Addison and Noel Scott held serve for a 4-3 lead against OSU's Malika Rose and Kanyapat Narattana at first doubles. The Texas tandem took the next four games en route to an 8-3 win at first doubles.
OSU responded with a win at third doubles, where the Cowgirls' Maria Alvarez and C.C. Sardinha posted an 8-4 victory over UT's Lana Groenvynck and Lina Padegimaite. The deciding match at second doubles featured a back-and-forth battle between UT's Elizabeth Begley and Aeriel Ellis and OSU's Meghan Blevins and Karyn Guttormsen.
UT trailed 5-3 before breaking and holding serve to even the match at five games all. UT broke OSU and held serve for a 7-5 lead, but OSU held serve and registered a service break to even the match. OSU held serve for an 8-7 lead, and UT followed suit to force the match into a tiebreaker. OSU saved one match point, trailing 5-6, but UT closed out the tiebreaker on Begley's serve. UT took the tiebreaker, 8-6 to win the doubles point.
Scott pushed the Texas lead to 2-0 with a 6-3, 6-0 win over OSU's Sardinha at third singles. The match at first singles pitted UT's 42nd-ranked Ellis against OSU's 83rd-ranked Malika Rose, and the outcome proved to be one-sided in Texas' favor. The two-time All-American Ellis took the first set, 6-3 and overpowered Rose in the second set, 6-1 to extend the Texas lead to 3-0.
The match-clinching point came courtesy of UT's 52nd-ranked Addison, who delivered a 6-2, 6-3 win over OSU's Blevins at second singles. OSU got on the board at sixth singles, where Guttormsen posted a 6-2, 6-4 win over UT's Groenvynck.
UT's Padegimaite pushed the Texas lead to 5-1 with a 6-3, 6-4 win over OSU's Narattana at fifth singles. Begley closed out the 6-1 Texas win with her 6-3, 6-3 win over OSU's Alvarez at fourth singles.
Texas plays the third match of its nine-match home stand on Thursday (March 21) when it hosts Big 12 Conference foe Iowa State at 2 p.m. CT. The match will air live on Longhorn Network.
POST-MATCH COMMENTS
Texas head coach Patty Fendick-McCain
On the win: We have talked a lot about playing the big points better and getting to that position where we can out-tough our opponents. I think we were able to do that throughout our lineup. I am just really proud of the girls because we did have a tough weekend last weekend. To be able to bounce back from that and be focus on the things like this is really impressive.
On the team coming back from last weekend's losses: It is all about managing your energy in between matches. When you are doing things right and taking care of the little things on the days off-for us it is all about the 'ice plunge'. They are actually gathering up to go into the training room right now to have a little group bonding. We just want to make the adjustments and bounce back physically and then mentally.
No. 39 Texas 6, No. 28 Oklahoma State 1
Doubles - Order of Finish: 1, 3, 2
1 #19 Breaunna Addison/Noel Scott (UT) def. Malika Rose/Kanyapat Narattana (OSU) - 8-3
2 Elizabeth Begley/Aeriel Ellis (UT) def. Meghan Blevins/Karyn Guttormsen (OSU) - 9-8 (6)
3 Maria Alvarez/C.C. Sardinha (OSU) def. Lana Groenvynck/Lina Padegimaite (UT) - 8-4
Singles - Order of Finish: 3, 1, 2, 6, 5, 4
1 #42 Aeriel Ellis (UT) def. #83 Malika Rose (OSU) - 6-3, 6-1
2 #52 Breaunna Addison (UT) def. Meghan Blevins (OSU) - 6-2, 6-3
3 Noel Scott (UT) def. C.C. Sardinha (OSU) - 6-3, 6-0
4 Elizabeth Begley (UT) def. Maria Alvarez (OSU) - 6-3, 6-3
5 Lina Padegimaite (UT) def. Kanyapat Narattana (OSU) - 6-3, 6-4
6 Karyn Guttormsen (OSU) def. Lana Groenvynck (UT) 6-2, 6-4
