Texas A&M
Oklahoma State
Liles Gets Comeback Win to Lead Aggies to 5-2 Win Over OSU
Apr 09, 2011 | Women's Tennis
April 9, 2011
COLLEGE STATION, Texas - Texas A&M's Christi Liles came back from a 5-1 first-set deficit and carried over the momentum to get a straight-set win against Malika Rose at No. 3 singles to clinch the winning point in the Aggies' 5-2 victory over Oklahoma State tonight at the George P. Mitchell Tennis Center.
Liles' victory came at a crucial time in the match as the Aggies held a 3-0 lead but were trailing on the remaining three singles matches.
"This was a little close," A&M coach Bobby Kleinecke said. "We were waiting, wondering where that fourth point was going to come from. We were fortunate. Christi (Liles) coming back in the first set took a lot of pressure off of Christi (Potgieter), who was down in the second at No. 4. I feel a little fortunate there, but in other ways you have to make your own breaks. Christi (Liles) did a great job of fighting through that, and she has had a great year so far."
Liles also played an instrumental role in helping the Aggies win the crucial doubles point. The senior from Largo, Fla., was paired with freshman Christi Potgieter for the first time this season as Kleinecke made a late change in the doubles lineup. The Aggie duo trailed Kanyapat Narattana and Rose, 3-2, at the No. 1 line before Liles and Potgieter won four consecutive games to go up, 6-3. The Cowgirls cut the lead to 7-6 before A&M notched the match-winning game.
A&M's Morgan Frank and Nazari Urbina, who had opened their match by winning the first five games against C.C. Sardinha and Nataliya Shatkovskaya, immediately followed with an 8-2 victory at the No. 2 line to secure the doubles point and give the Aggies a 1-0 lead.
Stephanie Davidson and Sheri Olivier, who entered the weekend as the Aggies' winningest tandem with a 7-0 record, suffered their second loss in as many days as their comeback came up short at the No. 3 line. OSU's Sasha Belova and Leyla Simmons built a 6-2 lead before the Aggie pair rallied to tie the score at 6-all. A&M was unable to take the lead as OSU won the next two games to close out the match.
"We just have to have more people step up," Kleinecke said, "and when you stop and look at it, today even, the change at doubles with Christi and Christi playing No. 1. Not only did No. 1 win, No. 1 won first, and that hasn't happened all year from what I can remember. I know No. 3 lost, but Stephanie and Sheri have done a great job as everything has gone on, so I feel good about that."
Frank took less than 55 minutes to put A&M ahead, 2-0, as she raced to a 6-1, 6-3 win against No. 2 singles. With the win, Frank notched her 85th career victory and moved into a tie with Cindy Churchwell (1988-91) for ninth place in the A&M all-time records.
Urbina gave the Aggies a 3-0 lead with a convincing 6-0, 6-1 victory over Shatkovskaya at No. 1, The Cowgirls, however, were gaining momentum after winning first sets on three courts before Liles come through with her dramatic first-set comeback win.
Narattana put the Cowgirls (7-12, 2-6 Big 12) on the scoreboard with a 6-2, 6-2 win against Davidson at No. 5, and Sarah Meghoufel put OSU within 3-2 with a 6-1, 6-4 win against Lauren Santacroce at No. 6.
Liles had won five consecutive games and later won a tiebreaker, 7-4, to win the first set, 7-6. She then won the first four games of the second set en route to a 6-2 victory, giving A&M a 4-2 lead and clinching the win.
Potgieter had dropped her first set to Sardinha, 7-5, at the No. 4 line but won the second set, 6-3. With the team winner already determined, a super tiebreaker was played, which Potgieter won, 10-7.
"A win is a win," Kleinecke said. "The thing is, I feel like we still need to step it up a couple of notches. Getting toward the end of the season and postseason play, that is going to be our goal for the next couple of weeks. Every match counts. We have four more conference matches, two of them away, and we have struggled a little bit more away, so we need to be ready to go next weekend."
The Aggies (11-6, 4-3 Big 12) make their last road trip of the regular season next weekend as they play at Iowa State and Nebraska, Friday and Sunday, respectively.
Free live scoring of the match will be available at AggieAthletics.com.
No. 33 Texas A&M 5, Oklahoma State 2
George P. Mitchell Tennis Center
Attendance: 274
Singles
1. (#34) Nazari Urbina (TAMU) def. Nataliya Shatkovskaya (OSU), 6-0, 6-1
2. Morgan Frank (TAMU) def. Sasha Belova (OSU), 6-1, 6-3
3. Christi Liles (TAMU) def. Malika Rose (OSU), 7-6 (4), 6-2
4. Christi Potgieter (TAMU) def. C.C. Sardinha (OSU), 5-7, 6-3, 1-0 (7)
5. Kanyapat Narattana (OSU) def. Stephanie Davidson (TAMU), 6-2, 6-3
6. Sarah Meghoufel (OSU) def. Lauren Santacroce (TAMU), 6-1, 6-4
Doubles (A&M wins the point)
1. Liles/Potgieter (TAMU) def. Narattana/Rose (OSU), 8-6
2. Frank/Urbina (TAMU) def. Sardinha/Shatkovskaya (OSU), 8-2
3. Belova/Leyla Simmons (OSU) def. Davidson/Sheri Olivier (TAMU), 8-6
Order of finish:
Doubles: 1, 2, 3
Singles: 2, 1, 5, 6, 3*, 4
*-clinched match
Team records:
Texas A&M: 11-6, 4-3 Big 12
Oklahoma State: 6-13, 2-6 Big 12
Follow A&M on Twitter @AggieTennis.
Players Mentioned
