Women's Tennis Upsets No. 22 BYU, 4-2

The 32nd-ranked Oklahoma women's tennis team pulled off an upset Tuesday as they took down No. 22 Brigham Young at the OU Headington Family Tennis Center in Norman. The Sooners grabbed the doubles point and won three singles matches for the victory. The Sooners move to 9-1 on the season while the Cougars fall to 11-4.

“This was an important win for us,” said head coach Mark Johnson. “Overall we played hard all day long. Every position was tough and we were able to close out the tight matches, which is what made the difference.”

OU junior Heather Saluri (Des Moines, Iowa) was the match winner against the Cougars. Saluri's 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 singles victory over BYU's Rebecca Pike clinched the dual for the Sooners Seventh-ranked Anda Perianu (Braila, Romania) dominated in singles as she defeated Barbora Zahnova of BYU, 6-2, 7-6. Freshman Gabby Baker (Gold Coast, Australia) came up with OU's third singles point with a tough three-set win over BYU's Lauren Jones, 2-6, 6-1, 6-2.

The Sooners claimed the doubles point for the fourth consecutive dual. At the No.2 spot it was Oklahoma's pair of Jessica Braver (Edmond, Okla.) and Irina Lykina (Kazan, Russia) that clinched the doubles point with a 9-7 victory over BYU's Olga Boulytcheva and Hadley Macfarlane. OU's undefeated pair of Baker and Bethany Griffin (Amarillo, Texas) moved to 7-0 on the season with an 8-5 victory over BYU's Rebecca Pike and Nicole Schneider at No. 3. At No. 1, OU's 26th-ranked team of Perianu and Heather Saluri (Des Moines, Iowa) fell to BYU's 21st-ranked pair of Barbora Zahnova and Sofia Holden, 8-6.

The Sooners now have a week off before they head to Virginia to face William & Mary on March 17 and George Mason on March 18.

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

No. 32 Oklahoma 4, No. 22 BYU 2
Tuesday, March 9, 2004
OU Headington Family Tennis Center, Norman.

Singles
1. Anda Perianu (#7) (OU) def. Barbora Zahnova (#45) (BYU) 6-2, 7-6
2. Irina Lykina (OU) v. Sofia Holden (BYU)    Did Not Finish
3. Gabby Baker (OU) def. Lauren Jones (BYU)    2-6, 6-1, 6-2
4. Olga Boulytcheva (BYU) def. Jessica Braver (OU)  6-4, 6-3
5. Heather Saluri (OU) def. Rebecca Pike (BYU)    6-2, 2-6, 6-4
6. Hadley Macfarlane (BYU) def. Beth Griffin (OU)  6-2, 6-1

Doubles
1. Zahnova/Holden (#21) (BYU) def. Perianu/Saluri (#26) (OU)  8-6
2. Lykina/Braver (OU) def. Boulytcheva/Macfarlane (BYU)   9-7
3. Baker/Griffin (OU) def. Pike/Schneider    8-5

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