Tulsa
No. 20 North Carolina
TU Falls 5-2 To No. 20 North Carolina
1/22/2012 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Jan. 22, 2012
TULSA, Okla. - The No. 23-ranked University of Tulsa men's tennis team fell 5-2 to No. 20 North Carolina Sunday afternoon at Michael D. Case Tennis Center.
The Golden Hurricane (0-3) lost all three doubles matches, and the Tar Heels (1-1) won four of the six singles matches.
TU lost at Nos. 2 and 3 doubles by identical 8-2 scores. Juniors Grant Ive and Tristan Jackson, ranked No. 37 in the nation, fell to Esben Hess-Olesen and Joey Burkhardt. Zach Hunter and Jose Hernandez defeated sophomore Japie De Klerk and freshman Lucian Gheorghe.
The No. 3 doubles in the country of senior Ashley Watling and junior Clifford Marsland dropped a tight 8-7 (8-6) decision to Brennan Boyajian and Oystein Steiro. The TU duo led 5-1 in the tiebreak before allowing the UNC pair to win seven of the next eight points.
Tulsa's two points came from the bottom of the singles lineup from a couple of rookies.
Gheorghe defeated Steiro 6-4, 7-6 (7-3) at the fifth position, while Alejandro Sanchez dropped No. 103 William Parker 6-1, 6-3 for his first-collegiate singles win at the sixth flight.
Hernandez, ranked No. 30 in the nation, defeated De Klerk at No. 1 singles 6-3, 6-2, and No. 83-ranked Watling fell 6-1, 6-3 to Boyajian at the second spot. Marsland lost 6-3, 6-3 to Hess-Olesen at the third position and Jackson fell 6-1, 6-4 to Burkhardt at No. 4 singles.
TU will next compete in the first round of the ITA National Team Indoor Championship. The Golden Hurricane will travel to Lexington, Ky., for the opening round, and the team will face East Tennessee State University at 2 p.m. Jan. 27.
Tennis Match Results Jan 22, 2012 at Tulsa, Okla. (Case Tennis Center)#20 North Carolina 5, #23 Tulsa 2
Singles competition 1. #30 Jose Hernandez (UNC) def. Japie De Klerk (TLS) 6-3, 6-2 2. Brennan Boyajian (UNC) def. #83 Ashley Watling (TLS) 6-1, 6-3 3. Esben Hess-Olesen (UNC) def. Clifford Marsland (TLS) 6-3, 6-3 4. Joey Burkhardt (UNC) def. Tristan Jackson (TLS) 6-1, 6-4 5. Lucian Gheorghe (TLS) def. Oystein Steiro (UNC) 6-4, 7-6 (7-3) 6. Alejandro Sanchez (TLS) def. #103 William Parker (UNC) 6-1, 6-3
Doubles competition 1. Brennan Boyajian/Oystein Steiro (UNC) def. #3 Ashley Watling/Clifford Marsland (TLS) 8-7 (8-6) 2. Esben Hess-Olesen/Joey Burkhardt (UNC) def. #37 Grant Ive/Tristan Jackson (TLS) 8-2 3. Jose Hernandez/Zach Hunter (UNC) def. Japie De Klerk/Lucian Gheorghe (TLS) 8-2
Match Notes: North Carolina 1-1; National ranking #20 Tulsa 0-3; National ranking #23 Order of finish: Doubles (2,3,1); Singles (2,3,6,4,1,5)
