ROCK HILL, S.C. – Impressive doubles play followed by three straight-set singles wins lifted top-seeded Radford to a 4-0 victory over fifth-seeded Liberty in the semifinals of the 2009 Big South Championships at Memorial Courts on the Winthrop University campus.

Winners of six straight and 12 of their last 13 matches, the two-time defending champs advance to their fourth straight Big South Championship with a 19-3 mark. Liberty concludes its campaign 12-10 overall.

“Hats off to Liberty,” commented Radford head coach Mike Anderson. “They peaked at the right time and gave us a very tough fight, which will prepare us for tomorrow's championship.”

For the 19th time in 22 matches Radford grabbed an early 1-0 advantage by claiming the doubles point. Ivan Salec (Oroslavje, Croatia/Oroslavje Secondary) and Mehdi Benhammou (Rabat, Morocco/Descartes) put the Highlanders one win away from the point with their 12th straight triumph, an 8-3 decision over Gregorio Machado and Chad Simpson.

Just minutes after Benhammou and Salec recorded their 18th doubles win of the season, Radford's top duo of Martin Sayer (Hong Kong/Sagemont Virtual) and Zack Watson (Harrisonburg, Va./Eastern Mennonite), who entered ranked 52nd in the latest ITA rankings, sealed the doubles portion with an 8-3 victory of their own.

Like the Highlanders' second tandem, it was Sayer and Watson's 18th win of the 2009 spring.

Radford's Igor Ogrizek (Daruvar, Croatia/Birotechnika Grammar) and Stefan Bojic (Novi Sad, Serbia) were down a break on court three before winning the next six games to take a 7-3 lead before the doubles competition was clinched.

All-conference selections Salec (6-1, 6-1) and Ogrizek (6-0, 6-2) quickly put Radford up 3-0 with convincing straight-set wins on courts two and five, respectively. For Salec, it was his 17th victory of his sophomore campaign, while Ogrizek became the fifth different Highlander to compile 15 singles triumphs this season.

After winning the first set 6-0, Bojic held on for a 6-4 win in the second to clinch the Highlanders' fifth straight shutout and ninth of the year.

“Our guys have a lot of fight left in them and are looking forward to the championship tomorrow.”

Radford will take on second-seeded Winthrop in the finals Saturday at 1 p.m. The Eagles held off Coastal Carolina 4-3 in this afternoon's second semifinal match.

No. 5 Liberty University vs No. 1 Radford University
Apr 17, 2009 at ROCK HILL, S.C. (Memorial Courts)
#50 No. 1 Radford University 4, No. 5 Liberty University 0
Singles competition
1. #91 SAYER, Martin (RADFORD) vs. CYPERT, Clay (LIBERTYM) 6-2, 5-5, unfinished
2. SALEC, Ivan (RADFORD) def. STEYN, Louis (LIBERTYM) 6-1, 6-1
3. BOJIC, Stefan (RADFORD) def. LEMMI, Giancarlo (LIBERTYM) 6-0, 6-4
4. BENHAMMOU, Mehdi (RADFORD) vs. SIMPSON, Chad (LIBERTYM) 6-7 (5-7), 2-1, unfinished
5. OGRIZEK, Igor (RADFORD) def. COSTA, Otavio (LIBERTYM) 6-0, 6-2
6. WATSON, Zack (RADFORD) vs. REYES, Juan (LIBERTYM) 7-5, 2-2, unfinished

Doubles competition
1. #52 SAYER, Martin/WATSON, Zack (RADFORD) def. CYPERT, Clay/LEMMI, Giancarlo (LIBERTYM) 8-3
2. SALEC, Ivan/BENHAMMOU, Mehdi (RADFORD) def. MACHADO, Gregorio/SIMPSON, Chad (LIBERTYM) 8-3
3. BOJIC, Stefan/OGRIZEK, Igor (RADFORD) vs. REYES, Juan/STEYN, Louis (LIBERTYM) 7-3, unfinished
Match Notes:
No. 5 Liberty University 12-10
No. 1 Radford University 19-3; National ranking #50
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1); Singles (2,5,3)