Women's Tennis Drops Tough Match to Texas A&M

NORMAN, Okla. -- The 19th-ranked and third seeded Oklahoma women's tennis team lost a tough 4-2 match in the semifinals of the 2004 Big 12 Championships to No. 17 and second seeded Texas A&M Saturday at the OU Headington Family Tennis Center in Norman.

The Sooners dropped the doubles point, but came back to take two of the six singles matches. Oklahoma falls to 21-4 on the season, while the Aggies improve to 21-7.

“That is what it is all about right there,” said head coach Mark Johnson. “I wish every match could be like that, with that much excitement, the crowd getting into it, and the two teams playing well and doing it the right way.”

The Sooners let the doubles point slip away as OU's Big 12 No. 3 Doubles Position Champions of Gabby Baker (Gold Coast, Australia) and Beth Griffin (Amarillo, Texas) were upset by TAMU's Anna Lubinsky and Nicki Mechem, 8-4. Oklahoma's Jessica Braver (Edmond, Okla.) and Irina Lykina (Kazan, Russia) started slowly at No. 2 doubles, falling to Texas A&M's Roberta Spencer and Helga Vieira, 8-4.

“The doubles is always crucial,” said Johnson. “That was one area where we thought we could have played a little better today. I thought in the singles we competed well, but in the doubles I felt we maybe gave a few points away that Texas A&M didn't earn and we definitely could have tightened it up a little bit.”

In singles play, the Sooners worked hard to try and make up the deficit as senior Anda Perianu (Braila, Romania), put the Sooners first point on the board by defeating Texas A&M's Jessica Roland, 6-3, 6-1. Perianu capped off a solid tournament remaining undefeated in singles and doubles. The next point went Texas A&M's way at No. 5, as OU's Braver fell to TAMU's Mechem in a tough two-setter, 6-3, 6-3. Oklahoma rallied back at No. 3 singles with Baker stepping up for a straight set victory over TAMU's Spencer, 6-2, 7-5.

With the match tied at 2-2, all eyes turned to the three remaining singles matches. OU's Heather Saluri (Des Moines, Iowa) came back from 5-3 down in the second set to 5-5, but was unable to hold off TAMU's Lauren Walker, falling 6-3, 7-5 at No. 4. With two matches left, OU needed both points to clinch a victory. Oklahoma's Lykina won the first set against TAMU's Vieira, but lost the match in a tough three setter, 2-6, 6-2, 6-2.

The Sooners now await a NCAA team championships bid to be decided on May, 5.

2004 Big 12 Tennis Championships
Norman, Okla. -- OU Headington Family Tennis Center

Doubles
No. 1: Roland/Walker (TAM) vs. (#20) Perianu/Saluri (OU), DNF
No. 2: Spencer/Vieira (TAM) def. Lykina/Braver (OU), 8-4
No. 3: Lubinsky/Mechem (TAM) def. Baker/Griffin (OU), 8-5

Singles
No. 1: (#5) Anda Perianu (OU) def. (#22) Jessica Roland (TAM), 6-3, 6-1
No. 2: (#112) Helga Vieira (TAM) def. Irina Lykina (OU), 2-6, 6-2, 6-2
No. 3: Gabby Baker (OU) def. Roberta Spencer (TAM), 6-2, 7-5
No. 4: Lauren Walker (TAM) def. Heather Saluri (OU), 6-3, 7-5
No. 5: Nicki Mechem (TAM) def. Jessica Braver (OU), 6-3, 6-3
No. 6: Anna Lubinsky (TAM) vs. Beth Griffin (OU), DNF

Doubles Order finish: 2, 3 ... Singles Order finish: 1, 5, 3, 4, 2