Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboys Ready For ITA Kick-Off Weekend
January 28, 2010 | Cowboy Tennis
Jan. 28, 2010
The Basics
The No. 24 Oklahoma State men's tennis team will have an opportunity to qualify for the ITA National Team Indoor Championships this weekend as the Cowboys compete in the qualifying ITA Kick-Off Weekend tournament Saturday and Sunday.
The second-seeded Cowboys will take on third-seeded Rice Saturday at 1 p.m., while top-seeded Texas A&M will face the No. 4-seed Fresno State at the same time.
The winners of each dual match will face each other at 1 p.m. Sunday for a spot in the ITA National Team Indoor Championships at the Boar's Head Sports Club, hosted by the University of Virginia. The losers of the opening dual matches will also face each other Sunday at 1 p.m.
Texas A&M serves as one of 15 host sites for the ITA Kick-Off Weekend. All matches played at the site will take place at the George P. Mitchell Tennis Center in College Station, Texas.
About the Cowboys
Oklahoma State is entering its second weekend of competition in the 2010 dual match season. The Cowboys return three letterwinners from last year's squad, which finished with a 14-8 record and reached the NCAA Tournament for a school-record seventh consecutive season.
The Cowboys are 1-0 on the season, winning their season-opening dual against Memphis, 5-2, on Jan. 23.
About the Opponents
The Cowboys will face Rice on Saturday, then either Texas A&M or Fresno State on Sunday.
Rice is the No. 3 seed and ranked No. 34 in the ITA team rankings. The Owls are 2-0 in 2010 and are coming off a pair of 7-0 wins against Lamar and Prairie View A&M on Jan. 23. Senior Bruno Rosa is ranked No. 19 in the ITA singles rankings and sophomore Michael Nusslein and Christian Saravia are rated No. 51 in the doubles poll. Oklahoma State is 5-1 all-time against the Owls, with Rice winning the last meeting in 2005, 5-1.
Texas A&M, the top-seeded host of the tournament site, is the 12th-ranked team in the country and owns a 2-0 record on the season. The Aggies won both of their season-opening matches, 6-1, against UT Pan American and Nicholls State on Jan. 23. Junior Jeff Dadamo is the 32nd-ranked singles player in the ITA singles poll, while he and junior Austin Krajicek team to form the No. 18 doubles tandem. Oklahoma State is 10-16 all-time against the Aggies, with Texas A&M winning a close dual match last year, 4-3.
Fresno State, the No. 4 seed, is ranked No. 46 and holds a 3-0 record on the year. The Bulldogs are coming off a 6-1 win against Pacific on Jan. 27. Sophomore David Ayoun is ranked No. 83 in singles, while the Bulldogs have a pair of ranked doubles teams. Seniors Mirko Zapletal and Taylor Leiby are the No. 20 doubles team, while junior Rikus de Villiers and sophomore Remi Boutillier are ranked No. 36. Oklahoma State is 4-0 all-time against Fresno State. The Cowboys won last year's dual match, 4-1.
All About Oleksandr
Oklahoma State senior Oleksandr Nedovyesov has already left his mark as one of the best athletes in the history of the Cowboy tennis program. Nedovyesov was named the 2009 ITA Player of the Year and has been the No. 1-ranked singles player for much of his career.
Nedovyesov holds a 1-0 record at No. 1 singles this year, while he and junior Aleksey Bessonov are 1-0 at No. 1 doubles. Nedovyesov finished the 2009 fall campaign with a 12-3 record, winning the ITA Central Regional Championships.
"He is the highest-ranked ATP player we have ever recruited,” Wadley said. “He is an unbelievable talent. He has solid strokes in every area. As the defending player of the year, it will be difficult for him this season. Everyone is going to be gunning and going after him. He knows that, and he needs to rise to the challenge. He has risen to the challenge before, and he will again."
Cowboys in the Rankings
Oklahoma State finished the 2009 season ranked No. 25 in the final ITA team rankings, which is where it opened the 2010 season. In the second edition of the 2010 team rankings, the Cowboys climbed one spot to No. 24.
In addition to the high team ranking, Oleksandr Nedovyesov and Anton Bobytskyi are ranked in the ITA singles rankings at No. 15 and No. 44, respectively, while Nedovyesov and Aleksey Bessonov are the 15th-ranked doubles pair and Bobytskyi and Eric West are the 39th-ranked tandem in the ITA poll.
Up Next
After the ITA Kick-Off Weekend, the Cowboys will take on Sacramento State on Feb. 6, in Tulsa, Okla.
