Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboy Tennis Faces Sacramento State
February 04, 2010 | Cowboy Tennis
Feb. 4, 2010
The Basics
The No. 30 Oklahoma State men's tennis team will square off against Sacramento State at 6 p.m. Saturday in Tulsa, Okla.
The non-conference matchup will be the fourth dual match of the year for Oklahoma State.
About the Cowboys
Oklahoma State is entering its third 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 1-2 on the year, winning their season-opening dual against Memphis, 5-2, before dropping matches against Rice and Texas A&M at the ITA Kick-Off Weekend in College Station, Texas.
About the Opponent
Sacramento State is 3-2 in 2010, having won three consecutive matches. The Hornets will face No. 31 Tulsa Friday before facing the Cowboys Saturday. Although Sacramento State is not ranked in the ITA poll, the Hornets are coming off a Big Sky Conference championship in 2009. Sacramento State also competed against Oklahoma State and Tulsa last year, losing to Oklahoma State, 4-3, before dropping its match against the Golden Hurricane, 6-1. Oklahoma State is 2-0 all time against the Hornets.
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 2-1 record at No. 1 singles this year, while he 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," coach James 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 third edition of the 2010 team rankings, the Cowboys rank No. 30.
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 Cowboys take on the Hornets, they will have an off week before traveling to Norman, Okla., to face the Oklahoma Sooners Feb. 21.
