Tulsa
No. 75 UAB (Semifinals)
TU Tops UAB, Advances To Seventh-Straight Title Match
4/21/2012 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
April 21, 2012
Results
ORLANDO -The No. 23-ranked University of Tulsa men's tennis team defeated No. 75 UAB 4-1 Saturday in the semifinals of the 2012 Conference USA Championship at the UCF Tennis Complex.
Play at the championship has been slowed due to inclement weather in Orlando, so the other semifinal match between No. 2 seed Memphis and No. 3 Rice will take place at 8 a.m. (CT) April 22.
The winner of that match will face the Golden Hurricane in the championship match at 8 a.m. (CT) April 23.
"I was very pleased with how we competed today, from start to finish," Tulsa Head Coach Vince Westbrooksaid. "UAB is a quality team, and we're happy to be in the finals Monday. Now we are just going to rest up, try to stay fresh and get ready for whichever team wins tomorrow."
The semifinal match between top seed TU (17-8) and the fourth-seeded Blazers (17-9) went straight to singles play to save on time, with doubles only being utilized if necessary.
Tulsa jumped on top early after senior Ashley Watling and junior Grant Ivewere both off court in straight sets.
Watling, the No. 85-ranked singles player in the nation, topped Chris Helliar 6-1, 6-1 on the third court, while Ive defeated Daniel Moser 6-4, 6-2 at the fourth position.
UAB picked up its lone point of the match after Danny Manlow upset No. 103-ranked sophomore Japie De Klerk 6-1, 6-3 at the top of the order, but junior Tristan Jacksonadded a third point for the Golden Hurricane moments later with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Lucas Dirube on the fifth court.
Freshman Alejandro Espejoclinched the team victory with a 5-7, 6-0, 6-2 win over Tom Puetz at the bottom of the lineup.
No. 94-ranked junior Clifford Marslandsaw his match on the second court halted, while he held a 6-7 (3-7), 6-2, 4-1 lead.
The Golden Hurricane is now on a seven-match win streak, and the team has won 11 of its last 12 matches.
Tulsa has advanced to the finals of the C-USA Championship all seven years the team has been a member of Conference USA (since 2005-06). TU has faced Rice each of the previous six years in the conference finals, with the Golden Hurricane winning the title five of those times. The lone win for the Owls came two years ago on their home courts.
Tulsa owns an all-time record of 5-1 against Rice in the C-USA Championship finals, while the Golden Hurricane is 4-0 against the Tigers. Memphis has never won a point over Tulsa in the tournament. TU defeated Rice 6-1 in Houston April 13, and the Golden Hurricane did not meet the Tigers this year.
Watling won his 85th career singles match, giving him sole possession of seventh on the school's all-time charts. He is two singles wins shy of tying Will Gray(2004-08) for fifth in school history.
Watling also owns an impressive 13-2 record in two-set tilts this spring. The lone senior for the team has earned the first point for the Golden Hurricane in both matches so far at the C-USA Championship.
Tennis Match Results Apr 21, 2012 at Orlando, Fla. (UCF Tennis Complex)#23 Tulsa 4, #75 UAB 1
Singles competition 1. Danny Manlow (UAB) def. #103 Japie De Klerk (TLS) 6-1, 6-3 2. #94 Clifford Marsland (TLS) vs. David Zimmerman (UAB) 6-7 (3-7), 6-2, 4-1, unfinished 3. #85 Ashley Watling (TLS) def. Chris Helliar (UAB) 6-1, 6-1 4. Grant Ive (TLS) def. Daniel Moser (UAB) 6-4, 6-2 5. Tristan Jackson (TLS) def. Lucas Dirube (UAB) 6-2, 6-4 6. Alejandro Espejo (TLS) def. Tom Puetz (UAB) 5-7, 6-0, 6-2
Doubles competition Did not compete
Match Notes: UAB 17-9; National ranking #75 Tulsa 17-8; National ranking #23 Order of finish: Doubles (); Singles (3,4,1,5,6)
2012 C-USA MEN'S TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE UCF TENNIS COMPLEX / ORLANDO, FLA.
FIRST ROUND Match 1: (9) UCF 4, (8) East Carolina 0
QUARTERFINALS Match 2: (1) Tulsa 4, (9) UCF 3 Match 3: (4) UAB 4, (5) Tulane 1 Match 4: (2) Memphis 4, (7) Southern Miss 0 Match 5: (3) Rice 4, (6) SMU 3
SEMIFINALS Match 6: (1) Tulsa 4, (4) UAB 1 Match 7: (2) Memphis vs. (3) Rice - 8 a.m. Sunday April 22
CHAMPIONSHIP - Monday, April 23 Match 8: (1) Tulsa vs. winner of Match 7 - 8 a.m.
Players Mentioned
