TOP-SEEDED RADFORD CRUISES INTO SEMIFINALS WITH 5-0 WIN OVER GARDNER-WEBB

ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Top-seeded Radford blanked Gardner-Webb, 5-0, in the quarterfinals of the 2012 Big South Men's Tennis Championships Thursday morning at the Asheville Racquet Club.

The Highlanders will face the victor of the contest between fourth-seeded Campbell and fifth-seeded Winthrop in the semifinals on Friday at 10 a.m.

Radford, which has won four of the last five Big South Tournament titles, improves to 18-5 overall, while the Runnin' Bulldogs conclude the season 6-16.

The defending champs wasted little time grabbing the early 1-0 advantage with convincing doubles victories on courts two and three. Shortly after the all-conference duo of Igor Ogrizek and Stijn Meulemans recorded an 8-0 decision, Joe Mills and Patrick O'Keefe secured the team point with an 8-2 victory over Stephen Martin and Roman Piftor at the final spot.

O'Keefe's straight-set (6-1, 6-2) win on court six put the first singles point on the board for the Highlanders.

Just a couple minutes after O'Keefe's 18th victory of 2011-12, Meulemans extended Radford's lead to 3-0 with a two-set (6-1, 6-2) triumph of his own. Meulemans, who was also voted to the all-conference singles team, improved to 17-3 on the spring with his win over Ernest Alberch.

Ogrizek, the lone senior on this year's club, clinched the match for the Highlanders with a 6-3, 6-3 defeat of Piftor at the No. 2 singles position.

2012 Big South Player of the Year, Nicholas Sayer, also got credit for a singles victory because his match point was being played at the exact same time as Ogrizek's difference maker. Sayer, who entered 117th in the latest ITA Singles Rankings, moved to 29-10 on the season with his win at the top spot.

Radford was up a set in the remaining singles matches when the contest was decided.

Radford 5, Gardner-Webb 0
Big South Men's Tennis Quarterfinals
Asheville, N.C. – Asheville Racquet Club Downtown

Singles competition
1. No. 117 Sayer, Nicholas (RU) def. A. Knutsson-Sundblad (GWU) 6-2, 6-3
2. Ogrizek, Igor (RU) def. Roman Piftor (GWU) 6-3, 6-3
3. Meulemans, Stijn (RU) def. Ernest Alberch (GWU) 6-1, 6-2
4. Dehaen, Thomas (RU) dnf. Korhan Ates (GWU) 7-6 (7-4), 2-1
5. Mills, Joe (RU) dnf. Joao Poli (GWU) 7-5, 1-1
6. O'Keefe, Patrick (RU) def. Brendan Dempsey (GWU) 6-1, 6-2

Order of Finish: 6, 3, 2, 1

Doubles competition
1. Korhan Ates/A. Knutsson-Sundblad (GWUM) dnf. Sayer, Nicholas/Dehaen, Thomas (RU) 6-3
2. Meulemans, Stijn/Ogrizek, Igor (RU) def. Matthew Parker/Ernest Alberch (GWU) 8-0
3. Mills, Joe/O'Keefe, Patrick (RU) def. Stephen Martin/Roman Piftor (GWU) 8-2

Order of Finish: 2, 3

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