TCU
#29 Tulsa
TCU Battles to 4-2 Win
3/15/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
March 15, 2016
Final Stats | Photo Gallery 
FORT WORTH, Texas - An over three hour battle ended in the No. 3 TCU men's tennis team's favor on Tuesday night as they came away with a 4-2 victory over No. 29 Tulsa at the Bayard H. Friedman Tennis Center.
The team had an uphill battle after dropping the doubles point, but the Horned Frogs (11-2) earned their 19th straight victory on the Bernard J. `Tut' Bartzen Varsity Courts by grinding out four singles wins with three of the matches going three sets against the Hurricane (7-8).
The first point for TCU came from junior Jerry Lopez who was the only player to finish his match in straight sets as he downed Carlos Bautista, 6-4, 7-5, to even the match out at 1-1. No. 48 Guillermo Nuñez followed by taking out Juan Matias Gonzalez on court two, 7-6(7), 2-6, 6-4.
After dropping his first set, Trey Daniel stormed back to take his second set, 6-1, before breaking Francois Kellerman for a 6-4 win in the final set to put TCU up 3-1 in the match. Tulsa would grab a win on court five to put the match at 3-2, but No. 16 Alex Rybakov closed out the match with an overhead slam by defeating No. 39 Or Ram-Harel, 6-4, 5-7, 6-1, for the freshman's 11th victory this season and fifth over a ranked foe.
Quotes of the Match
Head Coach David Roditi
Opening Statement
"That was a hell of a match. What a fun college match for people to come out and watch. We appreciate every single one of them that came to our match and stayed for out match because I think they got their money's worth. We didn't expect anything less when we play Tulsa because it doesn't matter what the situation is, it is always a dramatic match and there is always a lot going on. I am proud of our guys to come through like that. We lost some matches today, but I thought Trevor did a great job against Kilani because that guy has been winning a lot and he is one of their emotional leaders. Trevor did a great job of giving himself a chance to win. If he keeps doing that, he is going to win that match next time.
"The good part is that we found a way to win and come back and keep the streak alive. It is just great to fight like that. I am proud of our fight, I am proud of our heart and I am proud of our resilience. There were some guys that didn't feel 100 percent today and didn't practice all week and they had to step up and play. We didn't have Cameron Norrie today for good reason and the team was challenged to play without one of their best players on the team. Trey Daniel stepped up in a big way and I am so happy for Trey because he had to fight for that win. He has come so close so many times and lost those matches and he figured out a way to win that one with pure heart. He dealt with some pressure there and it came down to the wire and I am just really happy for him because it gave us a crucial win for our team. That took all wind out of Tulsa's sail."
On the physicality in today's match
"Today was a very physical match and Todd Kensler has done a great job of getting our guy's in shape and keeping them in shape. That guy on court six ran out of gas and Trey looked like he could go two more hours. That is a lot of credit to Trey for staying in shape and Todd Kensler for the job he is doing with our guys."
Match Results
Tulsa vs TCU
Mar 15, 2016 at Fort Worth, Texas
(Bayard H. Friedman Tennis Center)
#3 TCU 4, #29 Tulsa 2
Singles competition
1. #16 Alex Rybakov (TCU) def. #39 Or Ram-Harel (TULSA) 6-4, 5-7, 6-1
2. #48 Guillermo Nuñez (TCU) def. Juan Matias Gonzalez (TULSA) 7-6 (9-7), 2-6, 6-4
3. Jerry Lopez (TCU) def. Carlos Bautista (TULSA) 6-4, 7-5
4. #109 Eduardo Nava (TCU) vs. Dylan McCloskey (TULSA) 4-6, 7-6 (7-5), 5-2, unfinished
5. Majed Kilani (TULSA) def. Trevor Johnson (TCU) 6-1, 4-6, 7-6 (7-1)
6. Trey Daniel (TCU) def. Francois Kellerman (TULSA) 5-7, 6-1, 6-4
Doubles competition
1. #79 Dylan McCloskey/Matthew Kirby (TULSA) def. Hudson Blake/Reese Stalder (TCU) 7-6 (8-6)
2. Trevor Johnson/Jerry Lopez (TCU) def. Juan Matias Gonzalez/Or Ram-Harel (TULSA) 6-3
3. Dominic Bechard/Carlos Bautista (TULSA) def. Alex Rybakov/Guillermo Nuñez (TCU) 7-5
Match Notes:
Tulsa 7-8; National ranking #29
TCU 11-2; National ranking #3
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3,1); Singles (3,2,6,5,1)
A-361
Up Next
TCU will continue its home stand by welcoming No. 39 Columbia and No. 35 Dartmouth on Saturday, March 19 and Sunday, March 20, respectively. The Frogs will square off at Noon on Saturday and 1 p.m., on Sunday at the Bayard H. Friedman Tennis Center.
Players Mentioned
