Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboys Upset Tulsa; Advance to Sweet 16
May 11, 2008 | Cowboy Tennis
OSU overcame a tough day from sophomore standout Olekdandr Nedovyesov to avenge a 6-1 loss suffered to the Hurricane during the regular season. This time, it was a couple of freshman playing huge roles in the Cowboys' winning effort.
In doubles play, OSU's Igor Sobolta and Anton Bobystkyi, both freshmen, started things off with an 8-2 defeat of
In singles play, Bobystkyi dropped the No. 5 match to TU's Sottocorno to even the score at 1-1. Puchkarov then defeated Victor Kolik at No. 2 to put the Cowboys back up by one. A three-set win by Sobolta at No. 6 extended the OSU lead to 3-1, but
In the No. 3 match, OSU's Petrov fell in the first set, 4-6, to
“The effort our guys gave today was unbelievable,” said Cowboy head coach James Wadley. “For us to get to the Sweet 16 the way we did – with the three guys that lost the first day being the three guys to win their matches on day two – was incredible and it says a lot about our team's effort. Our freshmen came through in a big way, Ivan (Puchkarov) is getting more confident after battling an injury all season, and Dmytro (Petrov) showed a lot of heart coming back to win after dropping that first set.”
As a senior, Puchkarov knew what this match meant coming in and he says he is thrilled with the win, as well as the opportunity to go back to the Sweet 16.
“I knew that this was a big match and I just wanted to help my team get the win and advance to the next round,” said Ivan. “It felt good to get big wins in singles and doubles to help my team, and I am so proud of the way our young guys played today.”
It was the second time in as many days that an OSU match has been tied 3-3. Each match was decided by a singles match, and in each case the OSU player in that match bounced back from a first-set loss. Yesterday, Nathan Byrnes trailed
The win evens the season series between the two teams at 1-1, and gives the Cowboys a 37-8 advantage all-time against the Hurricane. The 20th-ranked Cowboys now move to 18-9 on the season, while
OSU will now move on to face sixth-ranked USC in the Sweet 16. That match will be played Friday, May 18 at
#20
Singles competition
1. #18 Arnau Brugues (TLSM) def. #3 Oleksandr Nedovyesov (OSU) 6-4, 3-6, 6-4
2. #71 Ivan Puchkarov (OSU) def. #82 Victor Kolik (TLSM) 6-4, 7-6 (7-4)
3. Dmytro Petrov (OSU) def. Will Gray (TLSM) 4-6, 7-6 (7-3), 6-2
4. #114 Ricardo Soriano (TLSM) def. Nathan Byrnes (OSU) 6-3, 4-6, 6-3
5. Alberto Sottocorno (TLSM) def. Anton Bobytskyi (OSU) 6-1, 6-2
6. Igor Sobolta (OSU) def. Ross Cunningham (TLSM) 6-4, 1-6, 6-2
Doubles competition
1. #27 Andy Connelly/Ross Cunningham (TLSM) vs. #18 Nathan Byrnes/Oleksandr Nedovyesov (OSU) 4-7, unfinished
2. Dmytro Petrov/Ivan Puchkarov (OSU) def. #55 Arnau Brugues/Ricardo Soriano (TLSM) 8-4
3. Anton Bobytskyi/Igor Sobolta (OSU) def. Will Gray/Alberto Sottocorno (TLSM) 8-2
Match Notes:
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2); Singles (5,2,6,4,1,3)
