Parizher Clinches 5-4 Victory For Bears Over #6 UC-Santa Cruz
RESULTS
San Antonio, Texas, March 25, 2011 – The No. 5 ranked Washington University in St. Louis men's tennis team rallied from a 3-1 deficit to post a 5-4 victory over No. 6 University of California-Santa Cruz on Friday afternoon in San Antonio, Texas.
Sophomore Gary Parizher clinched the match for Washington University, holding on for a 7-5, 6-7 (3-7), 6-4 victory over Andrea Halabi at No. 4 singles. Parizher, who won the match on his fifth match point, also clinched the match for the Bears in a 5-4 win over UC-Santa Cruz on Feb. 19 in the semifinals of the 2011 Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) National Indoor Championship in Fredericksburg, Va.
Washington University, which has won three-straight matches over ranked opponents by the score of 5-4, continues its four-day trip to Texas with a match against No. 11 Trinity University on Saturday, March 26. The match is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m.
Washington U. swept doubles play against UC-Santa Cruz in the first meeting, but managed only one victory on Friday. Seniors Isaac Stein and Max Woods defeated the Division III’s No. 3 ranked doubles team of Brian Pybas and Parker Larson, 8-4, at No. 1 doubles. This marked just the second time all season (#36 Southern Indiana, Feb. 11) that Washington University has trailed heading into singles play.
Freshman Tim Noack lost at No. 6 singles, 6-2, 6-4, giving UC-Santa Cruz a 3-1 lead. Washington U. answered right back with two wins to knot the match. Sophomore Gary Putterman had a 6-2, 6-4 win at No. 3, while Stein ousted Pybas 4-6, 6-3, 6-0 in a battle of top-15 ranked Division III players at No. 1.
Woods dropped a 6-3, 3-6, 6-0 decision at No. 2 as the Banana Slugs once again took the lead, but sophomore Kareem Farah followed with a 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 victory at No. 5 singles to make it 4-4.
Bear Notebook: Washington University is 6-2 against ranked teams this season … The victory for Woods was the 150th of his career, becoming just the fifth player in school history to achieve the feat … UC-Santa Cruz is a seven-time NCAA Division III Team Champion.