Cowboys Extend Bedlam Win Streak; Advance to Conference Semifinals

COLLEGE STATION, Texas Â– Oklahoma State's men's team knocked off Oklahoma, 4-1, at the George P. Mitchell Tennis Center on Friday to earn a spot in Saturday's semifinal round of the Big 12 Championships.

OSU got off to a rough start as sophomore Oleksandr Nedovyesov and junior Nathan Byrnes, who went undefeated at No. 1 doubles in the conference regular season, fell to OU's Andrei Daescu and Frederico Chavarria, 8-5. Senior Ivan Puchkarov and freshman Anton Bobytskyi were then dealt an 8-6 loss at No. 3, giving OU the doubles point.

In singles play, however, it was a different story as Nedovyesov got off to a furious start at No. 1, defeating Daescu, 6-1, 6-1. Freshman Igor Sobolta then defated OU's Ryan Thomas, 6-2, 6-1, at No. 6 to put OSU up 2-1.

After Puchkarov's 6-4, 6-4 win over Sergey Avdeyev at No. 2 singles, Byrnes defeated Chavarria, 7-5, 6-2, at No. 4 to clinch the match for the Cowboys.

“They played well and took it to us in the doubles,” said Cowboy head coach James Wadley. “We were fortunate enough to regain our composure and come back and compete really hard. I thought (OU) competed really hard. It was a good match.”

“Overall, I was really pleased with our effort in singles. I wasn't so pleased with our effort in doubles. I was happy to get a win over a good team. Now, we'll try to recuperate and get after it tomorrow.”

The win is the Cowboys' second of the season over their in-state rival, and their 19^th straight in the Bedlam series dating back to 1995. OSU downed the Sooners, 6-1, in the regular season finale at Stillwater's DeBois Tennis Complex on April 16.

With the win, the third-seeded Cowboys advance to a semifinals match against No. 2 seed Baylor. The Bears defeated No. 7 seed Nebraska, 4-0, in the opening round. Match time is set for 9 a.m. Saturday, with the winner advancing to Sunday's Championship match.

Oklahoma State and Baylor split 1-1 during the regular season. The Cowboys dealt the Bears a 4-2 loss at the ITA National Indoors in Seattle, Wash., back on Feb 15, then Baylor countered by downing OSU, 6-1, in Stillwater on April 12.

No. 3 Oklahoma State 4, No. 6 Oklahoma 1

Friday, April 25, 2008

George P. Mitchell Tennis Center Â• College Station, Texas

2008 Big 12 Men's Tennis Championship, Quarterfinal

Singles

1. #3 Oleksandr Nedovyesov (OSU) def. #32 Andrei Daescu (OU), 6-1, 6-1

2. #67 Ivan Puchkarov (OSU) def. Sergey Avdeyev (OU), 6-4, 6-4

3. Dmytro Petrov (OSU) vs. Vlad Marinescu (OU), DNF

4. Nathan Byrnes (OSU) def. Federico Chavarria (OU), 7-5, 6-3

5. AntÃ³n Bobytskyi (OSU) vs. Alex Joitoiu (OU), DNF

6. Igor Sobolta (OSU) def. Ryan Thomas (OU), 6-2, 6-1

Doubles

1. #49 Daescu/Chavarria (OU) def. #17 Nedovyesov/Byrnes (OSU), 8-5

2. Petrov/Sobolta (OSU) vs. Thomas/Marinescu (OU), DNF
3. Avdeyev/Joitoiu (OU) def. Bobytskyi/Puchkarov (OSU), 8-6

FINISH ORDER: Singles: 1, 6, 2, 4* Doubles: 3, 1

Records: Oklahoma State 15-8; Oklahoma 11-13

Oklahoma State University Athletics

Cowboys Extend Bedlam Win Streak; Advance to Conference Semifinals

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