Womens Tennis Defeats Missouri, 5-2

The 34th-ranked Oklahoma women's tennis team got off to a good start in its first Big 12 match of the season with a 5-2 win over No. 49 Missouri Saturday, at the Green Tennis Center, in Columbia, Mo. The Sooners swept the doubles and claimed four singles wins for the victory. The Sooners move to 8-1 on the season while the Tigers fall to 6-4.

“This was just another tough match,” said head coach Mark Johnson. “All the matches were tough and our girls simply hung in and won the close ones. I was especially pleased with Irina's (Lykina) performance because she was down a match point and came back to win 11-9 in the third set tie break.”

OU Freshman Irina Lykina (Kazan, Russia) proved to be the match winner against the Tigers. Lykina's 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 (9) singles victory over MU's Hana Kraftova clinched the dual for the Sooners. Fourth-ranked Anda Perianu (Braila, Romania) dominated in singles as she defeated Katka Sevcikova of Missouri, 6-3, 6-2.

Freshman Gabby Baker (Gold Coast, Australia) came up with OU's third singles point with a straight-set win over MU's Yelena Olshanskaya, 6-4, 6-4. With the match decided, junior Jessica Braver (Edmond, Okla.) played a third set super tie break for her singles match and defeated MU's Erika Josbena 7-6, 1-6, 1-0 (7) for the Sooners fourth point.

The Sooners dominated the doubles for the third consecutive dual, sweeping MU at all three positions. At No. 1, OU's 28th-ranked pair of Perianu and Heather Saluri (Des Moines, Iowa) defeated MU's Urska Juric and Katka Sevikova, 8-6. At the No. 2 spot, Oklahoma's Braver and Irina Lykina (Kazan, Russia) took an 8-0 win over MU's pair of Yelena Olshanskaya and Erika Josbena. OU's undefeated pair of Baker and Bethany Griffin (Amarillo, Texas) moved to 6-0 on the season with an 8-5 victory over MU's Mary Barry and Hana Kraftova at No. 3.

The Sooners now face BYU in its first home match of the season. OU takes on the Cougars, Tuesday March 8, at the OU Headington Family Tennis Center in Norman at 12:30 p.m.

For more daily information on OU women's tennis, visit www.SoonerSports.com.

No. 34 Oklahoma 5, No. 49 Missouri 2
Saturday, March 6, 2004
Green Tennis Center, Columbia, Mo.

Singles
1. Anda Perianu (#4) (OU) def. Katka Sevcikova (MU) 6-3, 6-2
2. Irina Lykina (OU) def. Hana Kraftova (MU)   6-2, 3-6, 7-6 (9)
3. Gabby Baker (OU) def. Yelena Olshanskaya (MU) 6-4, 6-4
4. Mary Barry (MU) def. Heather Saluri (OU)   7-5, 6-4
5. Jessica Braver (OU) def. Erika Josbena (MU)   7-6 (3), 1-6, (10-7)
6. Lucie Ruskova (MU) def. Joi-Lee Beachler (OU) 6-4, 6-4

Doubles
1. Perianu/Saluri (OU) def. Juric/Sevcikova (MU)   8-6
2. Lykina/Braver (OU) def. Olshanskaya/Josbena (MU)   8-0
3. Baker/Griffin (OU) def. Kraftova/Barry (MU)   8-5

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