UCLA
Oklahoma State (USTA/ITA National Team Indoors)
Freshman Meister Clinches 4-3 Victory Over No. 21 Oklahoma State
February 17, 2008 | Men's Tennis
Feb. 17, 2008
SEATTLE - Bruin freshman Nick Meister picked up the biggest win of his brief college career on Sunday, as his three-set victory at No. 6 singles propelled the eighth-ranked UCLA men's tennis team to a 4-3 victory over No. 21 Oklahoma State in a consolation match at the USTA/ITA National Team Indoors. The Bruins, who were beaten by top-ranked Virginia in the quarterfinals on Saturday, move to 7-1 overall.
With the dual match tied at 3-3, Meister showed the composure of a veteran, as he didn't drop a single game in the final set against Anton Bobytskyi at court No. 6. In fact, after losing the first set, Meister dropped just two games in the final two sets, posting a 4-6, 6-2, 6-0 win to clinch the victory for UCLA.
UCLA relied heavily on the bottom half of its lineup on Sunday as, in addition to Meister, Michael Look and Jeremy Drean were also winners. Look downed Nathan Byrnes, 7-5, 6-4 at court No. 4, while Drean was a 6-4, 6-4 winner over Mark Kepler at court No. 5.
The Bruins' three singles wins were just enough to pull off the win, as UCLA took a 1-0 lead early on by claiming the doubles point. Drean and Look cruised in doubles, taking an 8-1 victory over Bobytskyi/Kepler at court No. 3. That win was followed by an 8-4 victory for UCLA at court No. 1, as Meister and partner Harel Srugo downed Nathan Byrnes/Oleksandr Nedovyesov.
UCLA returns home next week, hosting Arizona State on Friday at 1:30 p.m., and Arizona on Saturday at 1:00 p.m.
No. 8 UCLA 4, No. 21 Oklahoma State 3
Doubles
1. Meister/Srugo (UCLA) def. Byrnes/Nedovyesov (OSU) 8-4
2. Puchkarov/Petrov (OSU) led Dehaine/Seguso (UCLA) 7-6 Susp.
3. Drean/Look (UCLA) def. Bobytskyi/Kepler (OSU) 8-1
UCLA Wins Doubles Point
Singles
1. (29) Oleksandr Nedovyesov (OSU) def. Harel Srugo (UCLA) 7-5, 6-1
2. (71) Ivan Puchkarov (OSU) def. (32) Mathieu Dehaine (UCLA) 6-1, 7-6(4)
3. (77) Dmytro Petrov (OSU) def. Holden Seguso (UCLA) 7-5, 1-6, 6-1
4. Michael Look (UCLA) def. Nathan Byrnes (OSU) 7-5, 6-4
5. Jeremy Drean (UCLA) def. Mark Kepler (OSU) 6-4, 6-4
6. Nick Meister (UCLA) def. Anton Bobytskyi (OSU) 4-6, 6-2, 6-0
Singles Order of Finish: 1, 5, 4, 1, 3, 6
