Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboy Tennis Proves It Belongs Among Nation's Best
February 21, 2007 | Cowboy Tennis
The USTA/ITA National Men's Team Indoor Championship is a prestigious tournament that brings the top 16 collegiate teams in America together annually to crown an indoor national champion.
James Wadley's Oklahoma State Cowboys qualified for the event by beating out instate foes No. 27 Tulsa and No. 60 Oklahoma at the Central Region qualifier in January. It was the second time in three seasons O-State qualified for the tournament.
The 2007 championship were held at the Midtown Tennis Club in Chicago and the Cowboys were seeded 11th. No matter who the Pokes drew in the first round it would be a daunting task but it was even tougher for the Pokes when they drew seventh-ranked and host team Illinois in the first round. The Illini are an experienced indoor team that won the event in back- to-back years (2004-05).
The Cowboys fell behind early after losing the doubles point for the first time in 2007. It was not unexpected however as UI's No. 1 doubles tandem of Kevin Anderson and Ryan Rowe were the defending NCAA champions. After losses at No. 1 and No. 2 singles, the Pokes found themselves on the brink of defeat. The Byrnes brothers, Daniel and Nathan, pulled out big wins to keep the Cowboys alive. The match came down to No. 4 singles where true freshman Dymtro Petrov battled tough but lost a third-set tiebreaker to Ruben Gonzales, 7-5, in front of a rowdy Illinois contingent.
“It was tough to play them in Chicago,” assistant coach Yevgen Bondarchuk said. “The crowd was crazy which is great for college tennis. We played well and had a chance to beat them.”
OSU could not dwell on the heartbreaker long as it faced No. 26 Miami on day two in Chicago. Although the Hurricanes were ranked lower than the Cowboys, they had been ranked in the top 10 not long ago.
The match looked to be heading the same direction after the Cowboys lost the doubles point. The bottom portion of the lineup would carry OSU against Miami as the Cowboy got wins from the Byrnes brothers and Artie Burmistrau to tie the match. For the second day in a row, the match would come down to true freshman Petrov. This time he came through as he won tiebreakers in each of the first two sets to give O-State the, 4-3, victory.
“They are a tough team.” Bondarchuk said. “Their No. 1 player (D'Agord) has been ranked as high as No. 3 in the country. They beat us 5-2 early last season so this was a good win.”
According to Bondarchuk, several positives can from the win.
“Petrov came through in a clutch situation which is important. The weekend was his first taste of big time college tennis and the pressure that come along with it. Nathan (Byrnes) played really well at No. 5 singles and Daniel's (Byrnes) back held up.”
The Cowboys faced No. 11 Duke on the final day of competition and it was the top of the lineup that would come through for the Pokes. OSU got wins from Oleksandr Nedovyesov and Ivan Puchkarov, as well as Daniel Byrnes and Artie Burmistrau, to win the match, 4-2.
“We lost the doubles point again but we took four singles matches from Duke which is tough to do,” Bondarchuk said. “It was good for Nedovyesov to get the win and it was good to see Ivan (Puchkarov) come through and clinch the match in a tough situation.”
There were many positives that came out of the trip to Chicago for the Cowboys as they were one of the eight teams that left the tournament with a winning record. It was a total team effort as every Cowboy contributed to the wins by at least winning one singles match.
The other positive was the play of the Byrnes' brothers on a national stage. Nathan, playing at No. 5 singles for the first time in his career, went 2-1 with his first win over a ranked opponent.
“He beat a ranked guy which gave him a lot of confidence,” Bondarchuk said. “He had some huge wins for us. He played much better this weekend and we hope his play continues to improve.”
While Nathan's older brother, Daniel, is no stranger to the national stage as he earned All-American honors last season, he has fought severe back pains since last season which has limited his effectiveness, especially in tournament situations. Going into the tournament, the coaching staff was not sure how much they would get from him.
“He really came through by winning all of his matches in three sets,” Bondarchuk said. “We really did not know how well he would be able to improve.”
The biggest positive that might have come from the weekend was the experience the relatively young team got playing some of the nation's best teams.
“We have two true freshmen and this was their first chance to see what college tennis is about,” head coach James Wadley said. “We have two freshmen and two sophomores so we are still somewhat young. We have a good mix of youth and senior leadership. How Daniel (Byrnes) plays the rest of the way will be a big key for us. If he can continue to play well we have a shot to challenge Baylor for the Big 12 championship.”
James Wadley's Oklahoma State Cowboys qualified for the event by beating out instate foes No. 27 Tulsa and No. 60 Oklahoma at the Central Region qualifier in January. It was the second time in three seasons O-State qualified for the tournament.
The 2007 championship were held at the Midtown Tennis Club in Chicago and the Cowboys were seeded 11th. No matter who the Pokes drew in the first round it would be a daunting task but it was even tougher for the Pokes when they drew seventh-ranked and host team Illinois in the first round. The Illini are an experienced indoor team that won the event in back- to-back years (2004-05).
The Cowboys fell behind early after losing the doubles point for the first time in 2007. It was not unexpected however as UI's No. 1 doubles tandem of Kevin Anderson and Ryan Rowe were the defending NCAA champions. After losses at No. 1 and No. 2 singles, the Pokes found themselves on the brink of defeat. The Byrnes brothers, Daniel and Nathan, pulled out big wins to keep the Cowboys alive. The match came down to No. 4 singles where true freshman Dymtro Petrov battled tough but lost a third-set tiebreaker to Ruben Gonzales, 7-5, in front of a rowdy Illinois contingent.
“It was tough to play them in Chicago,” assistant coach Yevgen Bondarchuk said. “The crowd was crazy which is great for college tennis. We played well and had a chance to beat them.”
OSU could not dwell on the heartbreaker long as it faced No. 26 Miami on day two in Chicago. Although the Hurricanes were ranked lower than the Cowboys, they had been ranked in the top 10 not long ago.
The match looked to be heading the same direction after the Cowboys lost the doubles point. The bottom portion of the lineup would carry OSU against Miami as the Cowboy got wins from the Byrnes brothers and Artie Burmistrau to tie the match. For the second day in a row, the match would come down to true freshman Petrov. This time he came through as he won tiebreakers in each of the first two sets to give O-State the, 4-3, victory.
“They are a tough team.” Bondarchuk said. “Their No. 1 player (D'Agord) has been ranked as high as No. 3 in the country. They beat us 5-2 early last season so this was a good win.”
According to Bondarchuk, several positives can from the win.
“Petrov came through in a clutch situation which is important. The weekend was his first taste of big time college tennis and the pressure that come along with it. Nathan (Byrnes) played really well at No. 5 singles and Daniel's (Byrnes) back held up.”
The Cowboys faced No. 11 Duke on the final day of competition and it was the top of the lineup that would come through for the Pokes. OSU got wins from Oleksandr Nedovyesov and Ivan Puchkarov, as well as Daniel Byrnes and Artie Burmistrau, to win the match, 4-2.
“We lost the doubles point again but we took four singles matches from Duke which is tough to do,” Bondarchuk said. “It was good for Nedovyesov to get the win and it was good to see Ivan (Puchkarov) come through and clinch the match in a tough situation.”
There were many positives that came out of the trip to Chicago for the Cowboys as they were one of the eight teams that left the tournament with a winning record. It was a total team effort as every Cowboy contributed to the wins by at least winning one singles match.
The other positive was the play of the Byrnes' brothers on a national stage. Nathan, playing at No. 5 singles for the first time in his career, went 2-1 with his first win over a ranked opponent.
“He beat a ranked guy which gave him a lot of confidence,” Bondarchuk said. “He had some huge wins for us. He played much better this weekend and we hope his play continues to improve.”
While Nathan's older brother, Daniel, is no stranger to the national stage as he earned All-American honors last season, he has fought severe back pains since last season which has limited his effectiveness, especially in tournament situations. Going into the tournament, the coaching staff was not sure how much they would get from him.
“He really came through by winning all of his matches in three sets,” Bondarchuk said. “We really did not know how well he would be able to improve.”
The biggest positive that might have come from the weekend was the experience the relatively young team got playing some of the nation's best teams.
“We have two true freshmen and this was their first chance to see what college tennis is about,” head coach James Wadley said. “We have two freshmen and two sophomores so we are still somewhat young. We have a good mix of youth and senior leadership. How Daniel (Byrnes) plays the rest of the way will be a big key for us. If he can continue to play well we have a shot to challenge Baylor for the Big 12 championship.”
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