Oklahoma State University Athletics
No. 8 Cowboys Set to Host NCAA Regional
May 10, 2007 | Cowboy Tennis
Oklahoma State's eighth-ranked men's tennis team is set to host three NCAA Regional matches at the DeBois Tennis Center this Saturday and Sunday in Stillwater.
“We have four quality teams coming to Stillwater,” head coach James Wadley said. “We are very excited to host. Every team is coming in here thinking they have a chance to advance to the round of 16. We are the eighth-seed overall, which is the first time a Division I team in this state has been a top-10 seed. We are very excited about this oppurtunity.”
Action will kick off Saturday when No. 26 Oklahoma faces No. 40 California at 11 a.m. The Cowboys will then meet up with Sacramento State at 2 p.m. The winners of the two matches will play Sunday at 2 p.m. for the right to advance to the round of 16 in Athens, Ga., May 17-22.
It is the third-straight season OSU has hosted an NCAA Regional. The Cowboys have made the last five NCAA Tournaments and 15 overall. OSU's best finish is the round of 16, which last happened in 2003.
The Pokes enter NCAAs with their highest ever seed, eighth, and currently boast an .810 winning percentage, which is the second highest in Wadley's 35-year career. The Cowboys also achieved the highest ranking in school history this season (seventh) and for the first time enter postseason play with two individuals ranked in the top 30 (Oleksandr Nedovyesov and Ivan Puchkarov).
The Cowboys are led in singles play by Nedovyesov, who was recently named the Big 12's Newcomer and Freshman of the Year. Nedovyesov is tied for the team lead in wins with fellow freshman Dmytro Petrov, who also leads the team in winning percentage. Puchkarov, a unanimous All-Big 12 selection, is ranked No. 30 and will play at No. 2 singles. The Cowboys will also look to their seniors, All-American Daniel Byrnes and Big 12 Champion Artie Burmistrau. Nathan Byrnes rounds out the singles line up where he has played solid all-year long at the No. 6 position.
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Scouting Sacramento State (20-5)
The Hornets of Sacramento State are the reining Big Sky Champs and have been ranked as high as No. 73 this season. They are coached by Slava Konikov who is in his fourth season with the program and second as the men's head coach.
SSU enters this year's NCAA tournament winners of its last three and 16 of its last 18 duals. This is the program's first NCAA appearance since 2003 and fifth since joining the Division I ranks in 1991-92. The Hornets have also won six of the last 10 Big Sky Championships. SSU's is led by Xavier Barajas-Smith, who was named the league's MVP. OSU and SSU have never met in men's tennis.
Scouting No. 26 Oklahoma (19-8)
The Sooners enter postseason play with one of its best teams in recent memory, as they have been ranked as high as No. 23 this season. They are coached Paul Lockwood and all of their losses this season have come against ranked foes. In fact, six of their losses have come at the hands of top-20 teams. OU is led by one of the top freshmen in the country in All-Big 12 netter Vaclav Kucera. OU last made the NCAA tournament in 2005 when they bowed out to OSU in Stillwater. OSU leads the all-time series 38-21 and has won the last 16 over its in-state rival, including two this season.
Scouting No. 40 California (14-9)
The Cal Bears will travel to Stillwater to make the program's 40th NCAA appearances and seventh straight. They are coached by Pete Wright who is in his 13th season with the program. They are led by No. 26 Peter Mouillon, who will be the second highest-ranked individual in the regional. All of their losses this season have come to ranked teams. Cal leads the all-time series with OSU 2-0 and has never lost to any of the teams in the Stillwater Regional.
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Awards Central
The Cowboys are in the midst of one of their best seasons in program history and their peers haven taken notice as the Cowboy have won a plethora of awards this season. Cowboys freshman Oleksandr Nedovyesov has led the way as he was named the Big 12 Freshman and Newcomer of the Year. He was also a unanimous All-Big 12 selection in singles and in doubles with teammate Daniel Byrnes. Ivan Puchkarov was also a unanimous All-Big 12 selection for the second-straight season. James Wadley was named the Co-Big 12 Coach of the Year for the first time in his career. He had been named the Big 8 Coach of the Year eighth times. OSU was the only team to have two unanimous All-Big 12 selections
Nedovyesov was also named Big 12 Freshman of the Year by the Waco Tribune. The paper named Nedovyesov and Puchkarov to its singles team, as well as both players and their doubles partners, Byrnes and Dmytro Petrov, respectively.
Nedovyesov, Puchkarov and Burmistrau were each co-Big 12 champions at No. 1, 2 and 5 singles, respectively. The duo of Puchkarov and Petrov won the Big 12 title at No. 3 doubles.
The Cowboys were also honored for their work outside of the classroom as Burmistrau and Jason Wright were named to the academic All-Big 12 first team.
Third Time's a Charm
Freshman Oleksandr Nedovyesov has made quite an impact on the squad as he has been name the Big 12's Men's Tennis Player of the Week three times. The freshman phenom has wins over 12 individuals who are either ranked or have been at one point this season. Four of his collegiate losses have come to players either currently ranked in the top 10 or who have been at one point. One of those losses, to then-ranked No. 3 Arnau Brugues of Tulsa, he has avenged.
600 Win Club
With a, 5-2, win over Penn, OSU head coach James Wadley became the seventh active coach to notch 600-career wins. In 35 seasons, he has a 610-274 (.690) record. He has spent all of his 35 seasons at OSU and, amazingly, has only suffered three losing seasons.
1. Paul Scarpa, Furman 797
2. Robert Screen, Hampton 738
3. Rich Gugat, Air Force 713
4. Ron Smarr, Rice 670
5. Chuck Kriese, Clemson 669
6. Bobby Bayliss, Notre Dame 661
7. James Wadley, OSU 610
Streaking
The Cowboys had their 11-match win streak snapped last weekend at Baylor. Here is how the win streak stacks up against the best in the program's history:
1987-88 18
1980-81 17
1986 15
1959 14
1983 12
2007 11
1996-97 11
1985 11
1975 11
Returning Cowboys
The Cowboys return six players off last year's top-20 squad, including Daniel Byrnes, a 2006 ITA All-American. The senior had one of the most successful individual seasons in Cowboy tennis history as he was an All-American, All-Big 12 selection and was seeded in the Individual NCAA Tournament, all while fighting severe back pains. Byrnes also paired with his brother, Nathan, to form the Cowboys' top doubles tandem. The duo was an All-Big 12 selection a season ago. Nathan also returns to the squad and will look to build on a solid freshman campaign.
The Cowboys also return 2006 Big 12 Newcomer of the Year, Ivan Puchkarov. Puchkarov, a junior this season, was also the Central Region Rookie of the year, Big 12 champion at No. 3 singles and a unanimous All-Big 12 selection during his first year in Stillwater.
Artie Burmistrau, an Academic All-Big 12 selection last season, went 17-3 a year ago and returns for his senior season. Also back are Oleksandr Kotsiuk, who went 12-8 as a freshman, and Jason Wright, a junior walk-on from Broken Arrow, Okla., who lettered last season.
Instant Impact
While Oklahoma State returned a solid nucleus in 2007 it was imperative for Wadley and assistant coach Yevgen Bondarchuk to add more talent to the roster, and that is exactly what they did. Oleksandr Nedovyesov and Dmytro Petrov joined the squad in January and have already made an impact. Nedovyesov has stepped in at No. 1 singles and gone 16-4, with 12 wins over ranked opponents, including a win over the No. 3-ranked player in college tennis. He is also the third highest-ranked freshman in the country and teams with Daniel Byrnes at No. 1 doubles. Petrov has been a force in the middle of the Cowboy lineup, where he currently leads the team in winning percentage and is tied with Nedovyesov for the team lead in wins.
