OU's Run at Big 12 Ends

NORMAN, Okla.The No. 31 Oklahoma men's tennis team fell to No. 4 Baylor, 4-1, in the semifinal round of the Big 12 Championship Saturday at the Plaza Tennis Center in Kansas City, Mo.

The fifth-seeded Sooners began the match against the Bears winning the doubles point. The Sooners' No. 37 tandem of junior Federico Chavarria and freshman Andrei Daescu upset the No. 26 Baylor duo of David Galic and Matija Zgaga, 8-4 at the No. 1 slot.

Competing at No. 3 doubles, senior Marek Velcika and junior Ryan Thomas downed the Bear's Attila Bucko and Denes Lucka, 8-3.

Down 1-0, Baylor rallied back to defeat the Sooners 4-1. At No. 1 singles, freshman Vaclav Kucera squared off against No. 13 Lars Poerschke. Kucera downed Poerschke 6-1 in the first set but could not maintain the lead. Poershcke came back in the final two sets to take the win. Kucera was the only Sooner to take a match to three sets.

No. 117 freshman Daescu met No. 20 Micha Kokta at the No. 2 slot. Kokta dropped Daescu in two straight sets, 6-3, 6-1.

At No. 5 singles Thomas fell to No. 118 Dominik Mueller 6-4, 6-3 and Federico Chavarria came up short at the No. 6 slot, losing to Denes Lukacs.

Top-seeded Baylor will advance to the final round where it will face Texas Sunday at 1 p.m. at the Plaza Tennis Center. Baylor is the returning Big 12 Champion and has won four of its last five tournaments.

The Sooners are now eliminated from the tournament. OU finished the season 19-8 and 2-4 in Big 12 play. Oklahoma must wait until Tuesday, May 1st for the NCAA tournament selection.

Match Results

Singles
1. Lars Poerschke (BU) def. Vaclav Kucera (OU) 1-6, 6-4, 6-3
2. Michal Kokta (BU) def. Andrei Daescu (OU) 6-3, 6-1
3. Marek Velicka (OU) vs. Matt Brown (BU) no result
4. Rob McKenzie (OU) vs. Matija Zgaga (BU) no result
5. Dominik Mueller (BU) def. Ryan Thomas (OU) 6-4, 6-3
6. Denes Lukacs (BU) def. Federico Chavarria (OU) 6-0, 6-4

Doubles
1. Federico Chavarria/Andrei Daescu (OU) def. Matija Zgaga/David Galic (BU) 8-4
2. Lars Poerschke/Michal Kokta (BU) vs. Rob McKenzie/Vaclav Kucera (OU) unfinished
3. Marek Velicka/Ryan Thomas (OU) def. Attila Bucko/Denes Lukacs (BU) 8-3

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