Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboy Tennis to Play in First Round of NCAA Championships
May 04, 2001 | Cowboy Tennis
May 4, 2001
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Oklahoma State's men's tennis team will travel to Palo Alto, Cal., for the first and second rounds of the NCAA Championships on May 12-13 at Stanford University.
The 37th-ranked Cowboys will take on No. 31 Florida in the opening round on Saturday, May 12. The winner will either take on defending national champion Stanfor, ranked No. 1 in the nation, or No. 4 seed Pacific on May 13 for a berth in the NCAA Round of 16.
"Florida is an extremely good tennis program," head coach James Wadley said. "It promises to be a tough match for us. The way we have played lately and through the Big 12 Tournament our players feel like they can play with top quality teams."
The Cowboys are coming off a 15-8 season which was highlighted by a stunning 4-2 victory over then second-ranked Tennessee at the USTA/ITA National Indoor Team Championships in Seattle.
Florida has posted a 9-16 record in 2001 with a 3-8 SEC record in the challenging conference. The SEC again dominated the selection field with all 12 teams receiving berths.
OSU has never faced Florida or Pacific. The Cowboys are 0-1 against Stanford, losing 5-1 in 1990.
The University of Pacific has posted a 14-10 record and received the automatic berth for Big West Champions.
Junior Matt Prentice was selected for the individual championships in Athens, Georgia. The Wellington, New Zealand, native posted a 12-10 record with his biggest win coming against then 5th-ranked Bo Hodge of Georgia.
"I think he (Prentice) has a legitimate chance of being an All-American at OSU," Wadley said. "If the draw opens up for him, he has a real good chance of going far into the tournament."
The Cowboys last NCAA appearance came in 1998 when they lost to Cal Berkely, 4-2, in the Regional Finals.
Stanford: Head Coach: Dick Gould Record: 24-1 Ranked: 1
Florida: Head Coach: Ian Duvenhage Record: 9-16 Ranked: 31
Pacific: Head Coach: Guido Baumann Record: 14-10 Ranked: N/A
