SMITHFIELD, R.I. – In the third-straight NCAA appearance, the Bryant University men's tennis team fell to No. 16 Oklahoma State, 4-0, Saturday afternoon in Stillwater, Okla.
The Cowboys (19-7) took the initial 1-0 lead over the Bulldogs (12-13) after capturing the doubles point at No. 1 and No. 2 doubles. Ranked 10th nationally, partners Julian Cash and Aarjun Kadhe defeated sophomore Nick Lamart (Raleigh, N.C.) and freshman Michael Plutt (Weston, Fla.), 6-1, at No. 1 doubles. Oklahoma State captured the point after sophomore Luke Lorenz (Colorado Springs, Colo.) and senior Max Vogt (Fair Oaks, Calif.) fell to Jurence Mendoza and Lucas Gerch, 6-1, in No. 2 doubles. No. 3 doubles went unfinished, as sophomores Josh Kliger (Newport Beach, Calif.) and Jorge Ortiz-Garcia (Trujillo Aalto, Puerto Rico) were tied, 3-3, with Nate Roper and Trista Meraut.
No. 56 Cash dominated at No. 1 singles, trumping Vogt, 6-0, 6-1, to distance the Cowboys from the visiting Bulldogs, 2-0. Junior Oliver Welsh (San Diego, Calif.) battled Kadhe at No. 2 doubles, but ultimately fell, 6-2, 6-3. The Cowboys sealed their 4-0 victory following Tristan Meraut's 6-4, 6-0 win over Plutt at No. 4 singles, eliminating the Bulldogs in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
No. 3, No.5 and No. 6 singles all went unfinished as Lorenz was trailing Gerch, 6-3, 5-2, freshman Artur Jakubowski (Dallas, Texas) was down, 6-1, 4-2, to Jurence Mendoza, while Nate Roper was up on Ortiz-Garcia, 7-6.
