Springfield, Mo. - The Southwest Baptist University men's tennis team advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 with a 5-2 victory over Washburn in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday afternoon. The Bearcats, who avenged a 5-2 defeat to Washburn in the MIAA semi's, now stand at 12-4 on the season.

The match between the #23 ranked Bearcats and #27 ranked Ichabods was tight from the start. SBU took the early 1-0 lead after an 8-6 victory at no. 2 doubles from Ferenc Agoston and Gyorgy Agoston, but Washburn battled back to tie the game at 1-1 by taking no. 1 doubles 8-3. The Bearcats used a strong 9-8 (8-6) victory at no. 3 doubles from Raul Cabalero and Torben Semrau to take the 2-1 advantage heading into singles play.

In singles play, Gyorgy Agoston quickly gave SBU a 3-1 lead with a 6-2, 6-2 victory at no. 3 singles in his singles debut this season. Sherif Abohabaga then brought SBU closer to victory with a strong 6-2, 6-4 victory over the #31 ranked player in the NCAA at the no. 1 position before WU claimed their first singles point at no. 4. With the Bearcats leading 4-2, Ferenc Agoston earned a hard fought 7-5, 6-4 victory at the no. 2 position to propel SBU to the 5-2 team victory.

The Bearcats will now advance to the NCAA Final 16 where they will play #20 St. Mary's (TX). The match is set to begin at 3:00 p.m. CST on Tuesday, May 9 from Altamonte Springs, Florida.

#23 Southwest Baptist 5, #27 Washburn 2

Singles
1. #7 Sherif Abohabaga (SBU) def. #31 Alejandro Valarezo Plaza (WU) 6-2, 6-4
2. Ferenc Agoston (SBU) def. Blake Hunter (WU) 7-5, 6-4
3. Chris Blodig (SBU) vs. Matt Barlow (WU) 6-3, 6-7, unfinished
4. Paul Haase (WU) def. Raul Cabalero (SBU) 7-6, 6-0
5. Torben Semrau (SBU) vs. Tommy Hunter (WU) 3-6, 6-0, 4-5, unfinished
6. Gyorgy Agoston (SBU) def. Chase Brill (WU) 6-2, 6-2

Doubles
1. #12 Plaza/Hunter (WU) def. #14 Abohabaga/Blodig 8-3
2. Agoston/Agoston (SBU) def. Barlow/Hunter (WU) 8-6
3. Semrau/Cabalero (SBU) def. Haase/Brill (WU) 9-8