TULSA, Okla. — Sophomore Evan Bynoe and junior Pietro Rimondini won in singles and the men's tennis team took the doubles point, but Tulsa surged to a 4-3 victory on Sunday at Michael D. Case Tennis Center.
 
In the first-ever meeting between the two programs, Cornell (2-4) took the opening point. Juniors Lev Kazakov and Joseph McAllister led off with a 6-3 win at No. 3, then senior Jake Hansen and Daniel Soyfer clinched the point with a 6-4 win at No. 2.
 
Tulsa (9-3), which has been receiving votes for the top 25 Intercollegiate Tennis Association national rankings, responded by winning five of the six first sets in singles. The exception was was at No. 5, where Bynoe won in a tie-breaker. He then blanked his opponent at love in the second set to wrap up a victory and give Cornell a 2-1 lead.
 
The Golden Hurricane eked out a couple close matches to take its first lead. Tulsa won at No. 3 on a second-set tie-breaker, and it took a 3-2 lead after a narrow 7-6, 7-5 victory at No. 2.
 
That left the balance of the match at the top and bottom positions. Both sophomore Alafia Ayeni (No. 1) and Rimondini (No. 6) won the second set of their respective matches to force a third, but the Golden Hurricane would eventually get its last point at the top spot. Rimondini won via super tie-breaker after the match had been clinched.
 
Cornell returns to the Northeast Region for the first time this season when it competes next weekend in the ECAC Indoor Championships, hosted by Penn. The three-day event starts Friday, with details announced later this week.
 
TULSA 4, CORNELL 3
at Michael D. Case Tennis Center; Tulsa, Okla.
Singles
1. Majed Kilani (T) def. Alafia Ayeni,
2. Joshua Goodger (T) def. #101 Lev Kazakov, 7-6, 7-5
3. Kody Pearson (T) def. Daniel Soyfer, 6-4, 7-6
4. Jarod Hing (T) def. Eero Vasa, 6-1, 6-3
5. Evan Bynoe (C) def. Boriss Kamdem, 7-6, 6-0
6. Pietro Rimondini (C) def. Stefan Hampe, 5-7, 6-4, 3-2(9)
Doubles
1. Ayeni/Vasa (C) vs. Hing/Kilani, DNF
2. Hansen/Soyfer (C) def. Pearson/Daniel Siddall, 6-4
3. Kazakov/McAllister (C) def. Kamdem/Thelwall-Jones, 6-3
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2), Singles (4,5,2,3,1,6)