Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboy Netters Head to Tulsa for NCAA Championships
May 09, 2008 | Cowboy Tennis
Cowboys Set to Take On Pioneers in NCAA Opening Round
Oklahoma State¹s men¹s tennis team will embark on its 16th trip to the NCAA
Tennis Championships when it heads down the road to Tulsa for a first-round
meeting against the Denver University Pioneers. The 20th-ranked Cowboys
earned at at-large bid as did 44th-ranked Denver. It is OSU¹s sixth-straight
NCAA Tournament appearance. The Pokes have made it to the Sweet 16 eight
times, but have never advanced past that point. Match time is set for 1 p.m.
Saturday, with the winner taking on the winner of the match between host
Tulsa and Binghamton.
Denver at a Glance
The Pioneers landed an at-large NCAA berth after going for a school-record
18 wins on the season. Denver is led by the Sun Belt Conference Men¹s Coach
of the Year in Danny Westerman, as well as All-American Adam Holmstrom. The
senior from Eskilstuna, Sweden, is ranked 36th in the ITA individual poll
while he and doubles partner Niklas Persson are currently ranked 12th in the
doubles poll. As a team, DU is ranked 44th and is 18-6 on the year.
Series History
Oklahoma State holds a 1-0 record all-time against the Pioneers. The lone
meeting between the two teams came back in 2000 with the Pokes taking home a 7-2 victory.
Last Time Out
The Cowboys suffered a 4-1 loss to Baylor in the semifinals of the Big 12
Championships in College Station, Texas. Sophomore Dmytro Petrov garnered
OSU's lone point with a 6-3, 6-3, win at No. 3 singles. The loss dropped OSU
to 16-9 on the season and gave Baylor a 2-1 advantage in the season series.
The Pokes got to the Big 12 semis with a 4-1 win over in-state rival
Oklahoma in the quarterfinals. The win was the Pokes second of the season
over the Sooners and their 19th-straight series win dating back to 1995.
Super Sophomore
Cowboy standout Oleksandr Nedovyesov followed up last year's breakthrough
freshman campaign with anything but a sophomore slump. The Alushta, Ukraine,
native was named the Big 12 Player of the Year after winning the Big 12
regular season title at No. 1 singles, finishing 5-1 in conference
competition, while compiling a 23-5 record in dual matches during the
regular season. He also excelled in doubles play, as he and teammate Nathan
Byrnes went undefeated (6-0) in conference play to take home the Big 12
title. Currently, Nedovyesov is the third-ranked player in the country and
he and Byrnes are ranked 18th in the doubles poll. The awards continue to
pile up for Nedovyesov in his first two seasons. Last year as a freshman, he
was named Big 12 Player of the Week on three occasions, he was voted Big 12
Freshman of the Year and Newcomer of the Year, and was a unanimous
all-conference selection in singles and doubles. He was also named the
Central Region Rookie of the Year as well as the Player to Watch in 2008.
NCAA Double Dip
Coach Wadley's Cowboys will also be represented at the 2008 NCAA Division I
Men's Tennis Singles and Doubles Championships in Tulsa. Nedovyesov received an automatic bid in the singles championships and will be the No. 3 seed. Meanwhile, he and Byrnes received an at-large bid to the doubles
championships after going unbeaten in the Big 12 regular season. The singles
and doubles championship will also be held at the Michael D. Case Tennis
Center and will be conducted May 21-26.
Last Time In The Tournament
In the 2007 tournament, the Pokes racked up back-to-back 4-0 wins over
Sacramento State and Oklahoma in the first two rounds before falling to UCLA
in the round of 16.
Familiar Territory
OSU will begin NCAA play in familiar surroundings when it heads east to
Tulsa to square off against Denver. The Cowboys played their first six
matches of the season at the Case Tennis Center and eight total matches on
the University of Tulsa campus. OSU is 5-3 this season at the Case Center.
Oklahoma State¹s men¹s tennis team will embark on its 16th trip to the NCAA
Tennis Championships when it heads down the road to Tulsa for a first-round
meeting against the Denver University Pioneers. The 20th-ranked Cowboys
earned at at-large bid as did 44th-ranked Denver. It is OSU¹s sixth-straight
NCAA Tournament appearance. The Pokes have made it to the Sweet 16 eight
times, but have never advanced past that point. Match time is set for 1 p.m.
Saturday, with the winner taking on the winner of the match between host
Tulsa and Binghamton.
Denver at a Glance
The Pioneers landed an at-large NCAA berth after going for a school-record
18 wins on the season. Denver is led by the Sun Belt Conference Men¹s Coach
of the Year in Danny Westerman, as well as All-American Adam Holmstrom. The
senior from Eskilstuna, Sweden, is ranked 36th in the ITA individual poll
while he and doubles partner Niklas Persson are currently ranked 12th in the
doubles poll. As a team, DU is ranked 44th and is 18-6 on the year.
Series History
Oklahoma State holds a 1-0 record all-time against the Pioneers. The lone
meeting between the two teams came back in 2000 with the Pokes taking home a 7-2 victory.
Last Time Out
The Cowboys suffered a 4-1 loss to Baylor in the semifinals of the Big 12
Championships in College Station, Texas. Sophomore Dmytro Petrov garnered
OSU's lone point with a 6-3, 6-3, win at No. 3 singles. The loss dropped OSU
to 16-9 on the season and gave Baylor a 2-1 advantage in the season series.
The Pokes got to the Big 12 semis with a 4-1 win over in-state rival
Oklahoma in the quarterfinals. The win was the Pokes second of the season
over the Sooners and their 19th-straight series win dating back to 1995.
Super Sophomore
Cowboy standout Oleksandr Nedovyesov followed up last year's breakthrough
freshman campaign with anything but a sophomore slump. The Alushta, Ukraine,
native was named the Big 12 Player of the Year after winning the Big 12
regular season title at No. 1 singles, finishing 5-1 in conference
competition, while compiling a 23-5 record in dual matches during the
regular season. He also excelled in doubles play, as he and teammate Nathan
Byrnes went undefeated (6-0) in conference play to take home the Big 12
title. Currently, Nedovyesov is the third-ranked player in the country and
he and Byrnes are ranked 18th in the doubles poll. The awards continue to
pile up for Nedovyesov in his first two seasons. Last year as a freshman, he
was named Big 12 Player of the Week on three occasions, he was voted Big 12
Freshman of the Year and Newcomer of the Year, and was a unanimous
all-conference selection in singles and doubles. He was also named the
Central Region Rookie of the Year as well as the Player to Watch in 2008.
NCAA Double Dip
Coach Wadley's Cowboys will also be represented at the 2008 NCAA Division I
Men's Tennis Singles and Doubles Championships in Tulsa. Nedovyesov received an automatic bid in the singles championships and will be the No. 3 seed. Meanwhile, he and Byrnes received an at-large bid to the doubles
championships after going unbeaten in the Big 12 regular season. The singles
and doubles championship will also be held at the Michael D. Case Tennis
Center and will be conducted May 21-26.
Last Time In The Tournament
In the 2007 tournament, the Pokes racked up back-to-back 4-0 wins over
Sacramento State and Oklahoma in the first two rounds before falling to UCLA
in the round of 16.
Familiar Territory
OSU will begin NCAA play in familiar surroundings when it heads east to
Tulsa to square off against Denver. The Cowboys played their first six
matches of the season at the Case Tennis Center and eight total matches on
the University of Tulsa campus. OSU is 5-3 this season at the Case Center.
Friday, June 05
Friday, May 29
Wednesday, May 27
Monday, May 18
