Doubles Sweep Leads Harding Men's Tennis to Upset of No. 19 Southeastern Oklahoma

DURANT, Okla. – Entering Saturday, Harding men's tennis had three wins over nationally ranked teams since the Intercollegiate Tennis Association began ranking teams in the 2003-04 season. The highest-ranked team Harding had ever beaten was 35th-ranked Southwest Baptist in 2014. No longer.

Harding used a doubles sweep Saturday to propel the team to a 5-4 victory over 19th-ranked Southeastern Oklahoma in Great American Conference action. Southeastern had won the previous five meetings in GAC matches.

With the victory, Harding improved to 7-7 this season and 1-1 in GAC matches. The Bisons' final conference match will be against Oklahoma Baptist in Searcy on April 15. Harding next match is Monday in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, against UAPB. Southeastern dropped to 8-6 overall and 0-1 in conference.

Harding had not swept the three doubles matches since an 8-1 victory over UAFS on Feb. 25. In fact, Harding was 3-12 in doubles matches in its last five outings.

The team had no such trouble Saturday.

Carlos Crisostomo and A.J. Barrington won their second dual match in four tries to give the Bisons a 1-0 lead. Adria Abella and Alejandro Sendra won their third straight match 8-4 at No. 3 to make it 2-0. The Bisons completed the sweep with Neto Cacace and Pablo Trevino's 8-6 win at No. 2.

Harding needed only two singles wins to clinch the match.

After Southeastern closed the gap to 3-2 with wins at No. 1 and No. 3, Harding moved to within one point of victory with Crisostomo's 6-4, 7-5 win at No. 2. Crisostomo's victory over Netanel Alcabas, the region's 16th-ranked singles player, was Harding's first in 15 matches this season against a regionally ranked player.

The clincher came at No. 4, where Abella snapped a personal four-match singles skid with a 6-0, 6-2 win over Petar Popovic.

Southeastern won the final two singles matches after Harding had already claimed victory.

Tennis Match Results
Harding vs Southeastern Okla.
Apr 08, 2017 at Durant, Okla.
(Southeastern Tennis Complex)

Harding 5, #19 Southeastern Okla. 4

Singles competition
1. Alberto Blesa (SOSU) def. Alejandro Sendra (HU) 6-2, 6-3
2. Carlos Crisostomo (HU) def. Netanel Alcabas (SOSU) 6-4, 7-5
3. Kelian Bouteiller (SOSU) def. A.J. Barrington (HU) 6-4, 6-4
4. Adria Abella (HU) def. Petar Popovic (SOSU) 6-0, 6-2
5. Mislav Colak (SOSU) def. Neto Cacace (HU) 6-2, 6-0
6. Guillermo Pardos (SOSU) def. Brandon Hogland (HU) 6-4, 6-1

Doubles competition
1. Carlos Crisostomo/A.J. Barrington (HU) def. Kelian Bouteiller/Netanel Alcabas (SOSU) 8-4
2. Neto Cacace/Pablo Trevino (HU) def. Alberto Blesa/Guillermo Pardos (SOSU) 8-6
3. Adria Abella/Alejandro Sendra (HU) def. Mislav Colak/Petar Popovic (SOSU) 8-4

Match Notes:
Harding 7-7, 1-1; Regional ranking #7
Southeastern Okla. 8-6, 0-1; National ranking #19; Regional ranking #2
Order of finish: Doubles (1,3,2); Singles (1,3,2,4,5,6)

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