Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboy Tennis Set for Big 12 Championships
April 26, 2012 | Cowboy Tennis
April 26, 2012
STILLWATER, Okla. - Oklahoma State's men's tennis team will travel to College Station, Texas, to compete at the Big 12 Tennis Championships, hosted by Texas A&M at the George P. Mitchell Tennis Center. The Cowboys (7-13, 0-5) are set to square off with the No. 3 seed Baylor at 9 a.m. on Friday, April 27. If the Cowboys were to advance, they would face Texas Tech, the second seed, at 11 a.m. on Saturday.
40 Love
The 2012 Big 12 Tennis Championships will mark the final time legendary coach James Wadley will coach the Cowboys in the conference tournament. After 40 years at the helm of the men's tennis program, Wadley has announced his plan to retire at the end of the 2012 season. Wadley will leave the program as the longest-tenured coach in OSU history, regardless of sport. Entering the tournament, his career record stands at 664-333. Wadley has compiled an impressive list of career accomplishments including:
• 13-time conference coach of the year
• 11-time regional coach of the year
• 17 NCAA Tournament Appearances
• Nine All-Americans coached
• 108 all-conference players coached
• Coached two National Player of the Year recipients
• Won 12 conference championships.
Last Year at the Big 12 Championships
At the 2011 Big 12 Championships, the seventh-seeded Cowboys fell to No. 2 seed Texas A&M in the opening round of the tournament, even though the Cowboys competed well in doubles against the ninth-ranked Aggies. A&M opened with an 8-5 victory at No. 3, but the other two matches were much tighter. The 28th-ranked Cowboy duo of Rifat Biktyakov and Aleksey Bessonov fell in a tiebreaker, 9-8 (3), to No. 4 Austin Krajicek and Jeff Dadamo. The match on court two was deadlocked at 7-7 when the doubles point was decided. Riding the momentum of the doubles point, the Aggies took the first three singles matches at Nos. 2, 3 and 4 to earn the 4-0 victory and advance to the next round.
Conference Meet History
The Cowboys have claimed 18 conference titles since the tennis program began in 1958, but they have never won a Big 12 championship, as the last conference title was won in 1991. Wadley helped guide the Cowboys to 12 of those championships, including five in a row from 1977-81, and four in a row from 1983-86.
Know the Foe
The Baylor Bears enter the tournament as the No. 3 seed and are ranked No. 28 in the country, boasting an overall record of 15-10 and a conference record of 3-2. Baylor features the 16th-ranked singles player Mate Zsiga, who has had a sensational freshman season, who has a record of 19-2 and a 4-1 conference record. The Bears also feature No. 100 Roberto Maytin. Baylor also has three ranked doubles tandems, highlighted by Maytin and Kike Grangeiro at No. 59. Maytin also teams up with Zsiga to form the No. 70 duo, while Diego Galeano and Zsiga come in at No. 74.
We Meet Again...
The previous meeting between Baylor and OSU in the regular season resulted in one of the most memorable duals for the Cowboys this season, despite the fact that the Bears won 4-3. The Cowboys nearly pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the year when the two teams faced off in Stillwater on April 15. After sweeping the doubles point, the Bears won the first singles match to take a 2-0 lead, but Cowboy Rifat Biktyakov won in straight sets to bring the score to 2-1. The final four singles matches went into third sets, with OSU needing to win three to earn the victory, but the Bears were able to pull out two wins to avoid the upset.
Cowboys in the National Rankings
Senior Vlad Bondarenko is the lone Cowboy player to appear in the latest national rankings, checking in at No. 104. Bondarenko is 7-8 on the year, with a 1-4 conference record and three wins against ranked opponents.
West, Haworth Lead the Way
Senior Eric West and freshman Chris Haworth are tied for the team lead with 13 singles victories apiece. West has compiled a record of 13-4 in his final season, competing primarily at the No. 4 spot, but also seeing time at the top three spots, where he accumulated a record of 5-0. Haworth features a 13-6 record competing primarily at No. 3, but also went 2-0 at No. 4 and 1-1 at No. 2. They both also share the team team lead for conference singles victories, as both sport a 3-2 Big 12 record. The pair also combined for six doubles victories, which is tied for the team lead.
Follow the Action
Live stats for each match and live video for selected matches can be accesed through the championship page on Big12sports.com. A full recap of each day's action will be available on the website with photos, quotes and results. http://www.big12sports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=10410&ATCLID=205177410
-OSU-
