Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboy Tennis Ready for Bedlam
April 06, 2010 | Cowboy Tennis
April 6, 2010
The Basics
The No. 46 Oklahoma State men's tennis team will play its second home match of the season Wednesday, hosting Bedlam rival Oklahoma, ranked No. 21, at 2 p.m. at the DeBois Tennis Complex.
Free For All
Admission at all home Cowboy tennis matches is free. In addition to free admission to the match Wednesday, free pizza and drinks will be provided to fans at approximately 3 p.m. after the doubles competition. There will also be a limited number of free t-shirts for the fans in attendance.
The Streak
Oklahoma State entered the 2010 season with a 20-match win streak over Oklahoma, who had not won a Bedlam match since 1995. The Cowboys lost that streak earlier this season, falling to the Sooners, 4-3, in a non-conference match in Norman, but still have a seven-match win streak over the Sooners in Stillwater. Coach James Wadley has been the head coach for every match during that stretch and holds a 41-16 career record in the series.
About the Cowboys
The Cowboys are 7-9 (0-3) on the year. OSU has faced 10 consecutive ranked opponents, with this match marking the 11th straight. In those 10 matches, Oklahoma State has gone 4-6, recording wins over then-No. 41 Hawai'i, No. 56 UNLV, No. 44 Penn State and No. 63 UCF. The Cowboys have also defeated Memphis, Sacramento State and Western Michigan in 2010. OSU returns 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.
About the Opponents
Oklahoma enters the match with a 13-4 overall record and is 0-2 Big 12 play. The Sooners, coming off of a win at Tulsa, are 1-3 in their last four matches, but won 10 straight prior to that stretch. OU is ranked No. 21 in the ITA team rankings and has several athletes in the singles and doubles poll. Andrei Daescu, Ionut Beleleu and Costin Paval are ranked No. 23, 54 and 64, respectively, in the singles rankings, while Daescu and Paval are the No. 47 doubles team and Daescu and Beleleu rank as the No. 71 duo. Oklahoma State is 42-25 all time against the Sooners.
Stout Competition
Oklahoma State has faced 15 different opponents in 16 matches this year. Among those opponents, 12 are ranked in the latest ITA poll, including six in the top-30. Also, four of the Cowboys seven wins this year have come against teams in the ITA rankings and the Cowboys' last 10 opponents are ranked. OSU's 15 opponents, to date, have a combined record of 193-92 and not one has a losing record.
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 13-3 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. Since then, the Cowboys have been ranked in every ITA poll in 2010. OSU holds the No. 46 spot in the latest edition of the rankings (April 6) after being No. 49 in the previous poll. In addition to the team ranking, Oleksandr Nedovyesov and Anton Bobytskyi are ranked in the ITA singles rankings at No. 14 and No. 98, respectively, while Nedovyesov and Aleksey Bessonov are the 16th-ranked doubles team.
Up Next
After the Cowboys take on the Sooners, they have a week off before traveling to Tulsa April 14, to face the Golden Hurricane at the Michael D. Case Tennis Center.
