Kearney, Neb. – Northwest Missouri State senior Fin Glowick scored the final four points to win the third set at number six singles, 7-5, and lift the 19th-ranked Bearcats over 44th-ranked Nebraska-Kearney,
5-4, Sunday afternoon in an NCAA Tournament match in Red Oak, Ia.
The Lopers finish at 11-10 while NW improves to 18-3 and will face 2nd-ranked Barry (Fla.) in the "Sweet 16" next week in Florida.
UNK was poised to pull the big upset and reach the Sweet 16 for the fifth time in program history. Down 2-1, 3-2 and 4-2, the Lopers saw junior
Georges Wakim rally at number one singles (6-2, 3-6, 7-6) and sophomore
Alvaro Arias do the same at number two (6-3, 3-6, 7-5) to tie things up.
Wakim (Egypt), ranked 46th nationally, upset 34th-ranked Romain Boissinot while Arias (Spain) upset first-team All-MIAA pick Josef Altmann.
With those victories, the dual came down to number six singles. Because the match was moved indoors to the Montgomery County YMCA, only four courts were available and number five and six singles had to wait until the others were completed.
Justin Nguyen being worked on at the end of his number six singles match
Glowick topped senior
Justin Nguyen (Louisville, Colo.) in the first set, 6-4, but Nguyen not only rallied to take set two, 6-4, he was up 5-3 in the third. However, Glowick – a first-team All-MIAA pick -- scored four in a row to send his team to Altamonte Springs.
At the end, Nguyen was hit by leg cramps but battled through the pain to finish.
UNK tallied the first point when seniors
Mohab El Zanaty (Egypt) and
Lucas Garces (Spain) won 8-5 at number one doubles. It marked the pair's fourth straight victory and second over NW this year.
In his final collegiate match, El Zanaty blew by Mauro Tete at number three singles (6-4, 6-0) to make it 2-2 and setup the furious finish.
The UNK women face Central Oklahoma on Monday (2:00 p.m.) in their NCAA Tournament first round match.
