CHAPEL HILL, N.C. –– The Navy men's tennis team (9-1) battled 19th-ranked Oklahoma State (9-12) from the start to the finish of a 4-0 victory by the Cowboys over the Mids, Saturday at the Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center in Chapel Hill, N.C., in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.  

Oklahoma State won the first doubles match to finish as Mathieu Scaglia and Maxim Tybar jumped out to a 4-0 lead over Sasha Panyan (Fr., Lutherville, Md.) and Gavin Segraves (So., Charlottesville, Va.) on their way to winning, 6-3.

OSU's No. 2 team of Luke Hammond and Henrik Korsgaard jumped out to a 5-3 lead on Navy's Jack Dabek (Jr., Dublin, Ohio) and Finn Garner (So., Arnold, Md.).  The Mids battled back to force a tiebreaker, then won the breaker by the score of 9-7 to even the proceedings at one match each.

The victory was the second recorded by a Navy doubles team in the NCAA Tournament since the event became a 64-team field starting in 1999.  It was the first since Navy's No. 1 tandem of Owen Bullard and Nate Nelms posted an 8-5 win over Florida's Jeff Dadamo and Greg Oulette in 2008.

All eyes then turned to the No. 1 match pitting Navy's Derrick Thompson (Jr., Towson, Md.) and Andrew Ton (Sr., Milpitas, Calif.) against the Oklahoma State pairing of Emile Hudd and Matej Vocel.  Neither team held any kind of significant lead throughout the hour-plus contest, which led to a tiebreaker being needed to decide matters.  The Cowboys team, which is ranked 27th nationally and will compete in the upcoming doubles portion of the NCAA Tournament, edged the Mids, 10-8, to give Oklahoma State the 1-0 lead.

"We started a bit slow in doubles, but the team found its bearings and definitely made a push to win the doubles point," said Navy head coach Chris Garner.  "Sasha led the way as each court started to make a rally.  Once they loosened up, they were able to put pressure on their opponents which ultimately gave them a chance to take the point.  We just rushed a little bit on the set points."

Oklahoma State would win the first set in each of the six singles matches, but four of those sets were close ones.  Garner lost his first set at No. 4 singles by the score of 6-4, both Thompson at No. 2 and Jake Fishkin (Jr., Baltimore, Md.) at No. 3 lost their respective matches by the score of 6-3 and Jack McBride (Jr., Chapel Hill, N.C.) dropped a first-set tiebreaker at No. 6 by the score of 8-6.  

Oklahoma State extended its lead to 2-0 when Vocel, who is ranked 37th nationally and is entered into the singles draw of the NCAA Tournament, defeated Ton, 6-1, 6-2, at No. 1 singles.  The margin became 3-0 after Matisse Bobichon defeated Segraves, 6-2, 7-6 (7-1) at the No. 5 flight.  The match ended after Etienne Donnet beat Garner, 6-4, 6-1, at No. 4 singles.

In the remaining matches, Scaglia led Fishkin, 6-3, 6-5 at No. 3 and Luke Hammond held a 7-6 (8-6), 3-1 lead on McBride.   Additionally, Thompson evened his match at one set apiece when he defeated Korsgaard, 6-3, in the second stanza.  The players were tied at 1-1 in the third set when play was halted.

"The guys definitely had opportunities in the singles matches," said Garner.  "Andrew played a terrific player today, but just pressed too much.  Derrick and Jake were still right there competing and staying even.  Gavin did great in coming back in the second set, but his opponent played a terrific tiebreaker.  Finn had some chances in the first set, but as his opponent pulled way he started playing better and better.  Jack definitely had opportunities to close out the first set.  He was still in the mix in the second set, though."

Thompson joins Mitch Koch (1999) and Ramsey Lemaich (2007) as the lone Mids to have won a singles set in the current NCAA Tournament format.  Koch won a 6-3, 6-3 decision at No. 1 singles against Mississippi to record the only match victory by a Patriot League player in the tournament, and Lemaich won the first set of his No. 6 singles match against Texas.  That match was stopped with Lemaich leading, 6-3, 1-6, 1-0.

Today's decision concludes the playing career for Ton.  The only three-time Patriot League Player-of-the-Year recipient and the only player in league history to be named the player of the year, rookie of the year, tournament MVP and scholar-athlete of the year, Ton played No. 1 singles and No. 2 doubles throughout his four years.  He totaled overall records of 70-32 in singles and 66-21 in doubles.  Those marks included a combined 36-4 record against league foes.  He ranks among the Navy career leaders for victories and winning percentage in both singles and doubles.

"Andrew's results speak for themselves as far as how important he has been to the program over his four years," said Garner.  "With having missed around 45 matches from the end of 2020 and the start of 2021 due to the pandemic, who knows how much higher he would have ranked among the all-time victory leaders at Navy had he been able to play a complete career.  What doesn't show in his statistics is how important and profound of an affect he has had on all of us.

"The statistics don't show his commitment to coming to practice every day to put in his work and compete.  They don't show his hunger and drive to succeed academically.  They don't show how much he cares for his company mates and his teammates and what he does in Bancroft Hall for his fellow Mids and within our team.  He was fortunate to be part of a program where his teammates allowed him to continue to grow as an individual and a leader.  And he was fortunate to have had Derrick to push and compete against him daily, which took each of them to a higher level."

#19 Oklahoma State def. Navy, 4-0
Doubles -- Oklahoma State wins the doubles point (3-2-1)
1. #27 Emile Hudd / Matej Vocel (OSU) def. Thompson, Derrick / Ton, Andrew (NAVY) 7-6 (10-8)
2. Garner, Finn / Dabek, Jack (NAVY) def. Henrik Korsgaard / Luke Hammond (OSU) 7-6 (9-7)
3. Maxim Tybar / Mathieu Scaglia (OSU) def. Segraves, Gavin / Panyan, Sasha (NAVY) 6-3
Singles (1-5-4)
1. #37 Matej Vocel (OSU) def. Ton, Andrew (NAVY) 6-1, 6-2
2. Thompson, Derrick (NAVY) vs. Henrik Korsgaard (OSU) 3-6, 6-3, 1-1, unfinished
3. Fishkin, Jake (NAVY) vs. Mathieu Scaglia (OSU) 3-6, 5-6, unfinished
4. Etienne Donnet (OSU) def. Garner, Finn (NAVY) 6-4, 6-1
5. Matisse Bobichon (OSU) def. Segraves, Gavin (NAVY) 6-2, 7-6 (7-1)
6. McBride, Jack (NAVY) vs. Luke Hammond (OSU) 6-7 (6-8), 1-3, unfinished