May 9, 2015
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#1 Oklahoma 4, #28 Northwestern 1 Headington Family Tennis Center • Norman, Okla. Results  |
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NORMAN, Okla. -- No. 28 Northwestern knew it would be a battle against No. 1 and first-seeded Oklahoma in the NCAA second round, and though the `Cats struck first in doubles play, the Sooners surged back in singles to take the match, 4-1.
The `Cats finish the season 21-10, the second year in a row they have achieved 21 victories.
The Wildcats claimed the first point of the day in doubles competition with two wins on the upper courts. 64th-ranked Sam Shropshire and Alex Pasareanu overcame 57th-ranked Andrew Harris and Alex Ghilea 8-5 at No. 1, and Fedor Baev and Strong Kirchheimer clinched a nail-biting 8-7 (7-3) win over Dane Webb and Spencer Papa at No. 2.
However, OU's strong singles lineup put Oklahoma back on top, starting with two top-ten athletes on courts 1 and 2. No. 7 Harris defeated Kirchheimer 6-2, 6-2 at No. 2, and No. 1 Axel Alvarez beat No. 48 Shropshire 6-1, 6-2 at No. 1 to give the Sooners a 2-1 lead.
Spencer Papa then gave Oklahoma its third point on court 5, where he prevailed 6-1, 6-4 over Baev.
Despite the deficit, the persistent Wildcats kept fighting in the remaining matches, and a comeback seemed very possible. Konrad Zieba split the first two frames with No. 44 Dane Webb to force the third at No. 3. Alp Horoz was up in the second set after dropping a close first frame at No. 6. On court 4, Logan Staggs was trading games in a second set duel with No. 103 Ghilea.
Yet the Sooners were able to avoid the upset as Ghilea won a tight tiebreaker and beat Staggs 6-2, 7-6 (7-3), sending Oklahoma to the next round.
Though the team's season has come to a close, Shropshire is not done. The sophomore earned an at-large selection to the 64-player singles field for the 2015 NCAA Men's Tennis Championships. The tournament will be conducted May 20-25 at the Hurd Tennis Center on the campus of Baylor University in Waco, Texas.
#1 Oklahoma 4, #28 Northwestern 1
Doubles Results
1. #64 Sam Shropshire/Alex Pasareanu (NU) def. #57 Andrew Harris/Alex Ghilea (OU) 8-5
2. Fedor Baev/Strong Kircheimer (NU) def. Dane Webb/Spencer Papa (OU) 8-7 (7-3)
3. Axel Alvarez/Jose Antonio Salazar Martin (OU) def. Alp Horoz/Mihir Kumar (NU) 8-4
Order of finish: 1, 3, 2*
Singles Results
1. #1 Axel Alvarez (OU) def. #48 Sam Shropshire (NU) 6-1, 6-2
2. #7 Andrew Harris (OU) def. Strong Kirchheimer (NU) 6-2, 6-2
3. Konrad Zieba (NU) vs. #44 Dane Webb (OU) 6-2, 3-6 (unfinished), 1-0
4. #103 Alex Ghilea (OU) def. Logan Staggs (NU) 6-2, 7-6 (7-3)
5. Spencer Papa (OU) def. Fedor Baev (NU) 6-1, 6-4
6. Alp Horoz (NU) vs. Florin Bragusi (OU) 5-7, 3-2 (unfinished)
Order of finish: 2, 1, 5, 4*