OU Women's Tennis Pulls Out Victory Over No. 51 TCU, 4-3

March 30, 2003

NORMAN, Okla. - OU senior Melissa Mendieta (San Jose, Costa Rica) won six consecutive points after falling behind 4-1 in a third-set tie-breaker against TCU's Karla Mancinas to win at No. 5 singles, 5-7, 6-4, 7-6. Her victory clinched a 4-3 win for 30th-ranked Oklahoma over No. 51 TCU at the OU Headington Family Tennis Center in Norman. The Sooner women improved to 13-3 on the season while the Horned Frogs fell to 7-8 overall. The Sooners also improved to 7-3 versus ranked opponents this season.

Oklahoma jumped out to an early lead sweeping TCU in doubles. OU's 49th-ranked pair of Anda Perianu (Braila, Romania) and Heather Saluri (Des Moines, Iowa) won their ninth match of the season at No. 1 with an 8-4 victory over TCU's 51st-ranked duo of Paty Aburto and Rosa Perez. Sooners Jessica Braver (Edmond, Okla.) and Mendieta beat Ivonne Andrade and Brenna Shackelford at the third doubles slot, 9-7, to clinch the point. At No. 2, OU senior Annette Bryntesson (Perth, Australia) and sophomore Bethany Griffin (Amarillo, Texas) completed the sweept outlasting TCU's Mancinas and Saber Pierce, 9-7.

In singles, Pierce claimed the Horned Frogs' first point with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Saluri at No. 3 while OU's Griffin put OU back up by one with a 6-1, 7-5 victory against Gloriann Lopez at No. 4. Perez evened the team score at 2-2 with a straight-set win over Bryntesson at No. 2.

TCU's Iris Jaklin beat Braver in three sets at No. 6, while OU's 76th-ranked Perianu won her 13th match at No. 1 with a three-set decision over TCU's 89th-ranked Aburto to knot the team score at three. Mendieta's win not only clinched the match for the Sooners but pushed her record to 11-4 this spring and 3-1 at No. 5.

The Sooners continue conference play at Iowa State on Thursday, April 3. The Cyclones are 2-11 on the season and 0-7 in conference play. Match time is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. at the Ames Racquet & Fitness Center.

No. 30 Oklahoma 4, No. 51 TCU 3
Sunday, March 30
OU Headington Family Tennis Center
Norman, Okla.

Doubles 1. (#49) Perianu/Saluri (OU) def. (#51) Aburto/Perez (TCU) 8-4 2. Griffin/Bryntesson (OU) def. Mancinas/Pierce (TCU) 9-7 3. Braver/Mendieta (OU) def. Andrade/Shackelford (TCU) 9-7

Singles 1. (#76) Anda Perianu (OU) def. (#89) Paty Aburto (TCU) 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 2. Rosa Perez (TCU) def. Annette Bryntesson (OU) 7-5, 6-2 3. Saber Pierce (TCU) def. Heather Saluri (OU) 6-4, 6-2 4. Bethany Griffin (OU) def. Gloriann Lopez (TCU) 6-1, 7-5 5. Melissa Mendieta (OU) def. Karla Mancinas (TCU) 5-7, 6-4, 7-6 6. Iris Jaklin (TCU) def. Jessica Braver (OU) 6-1, 2-6, 6-4

University of Oklahoma Athletics

OU Women's Tennis Pulls Out Victory Over No. 51 TCU, 4-3

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