University of Houston Athletics
University of Houston
Oregon
Cougars Fall 5-2 in Weekend Matchup with Oregon
2/7/2016 12:00:00 AM | Tennis
HOUSTON â€" The No. 44 Houston Cougar tennis team fell to No. 51 Oregon 5-2 on Sunday at the John E. Hoff Courts. The Cougars started strong, winning the doubles point, but were unable to secure a win.
Injuries continued to impact the Houston lineup, leaving the Cougars unable to compete on the No. 3 doubles court. However, that did not slow down the Coogs as Maria Cardenas and Tina Rupert defeated Kennan Johnson and Christi Woodson 6-2 on court two to even doubles play. Despoina Vogasari and Rocio Martin were quick to follow with a win at the No. 1 spot, overtaking Nia Rose and Alyssa Tobita 6-3 to secure the point.
Since Houston was unable to compete at the No. 6 singles court, the Cougars entered the singles competition tied 1-1. Oregon opened singles play with two more points, winning at the No. 4 and 5 spots. Marnie Stokes was the first to fall, being defeated by Marlou Kluiving 3-6, 1-6. Following the Stokes' match, Cardenas was overtaken by Woodson 2-6, 5-7.
With Oregon leading 3-1, the Cougars began to make a comeback at the No. 1 singles court with No. 34 Vogasari triumphing over Rose 7-6 (7-2), 6-4. However, Oregon secured the win with Shweta Sangwan defeating Martin 6-2, 6-4.
Rupert was in the middle of a close battle against Tobita at the No. 2 singles court when the match was won. The two continued to battle into a deep into a third set tiebreak with Tobita ultimately winning 6-2, 1-6, 7-6 (12-10).
"Winning the doubles point was huge for us today, especially being short-handed," head coach Courtney Steinbock said. "It's validation that what we are doing is getting better and working. I saw a lot of good things today from different players. We did some really good things today and I'm happy with the way we competed."
UP NEXT FOR HOUSTON
The Cougars will hit the road for a short weekend trip, traveling to College Station, Texas to take on Texas A&M on Saturday, Feb. 13. First serve in that match is scheduled for 1 p.m. CT.
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The Cougars are proud to introduce the Center Court Club, a restricted-giving program that directly impacts the needs of the University of Houston Tennis program. Gifts to the Center Court Club provide financial support directly to the University of Houston Tennis program for needs beyond the program's operating budget. Revenue generated from the Center Court Club is used at the discretion of the Head Coach for program enhancements. Membership in the Center Court Club is annual and requires a minimum $100 gift.
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