Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboy Tennis Set for California Road Trip
March 16, 2013 | Cowboy Tennis
March 16, 2013
STILLWATER, Okla. -
Oklahoma State's 65th-ranked men's tennis team will take on Loyola Marymount on Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. CT at the LMU Tennis Center before opening play in the Hilton San Diego Mission Valley Spring Classic on March 21.
OSU (6-5), coming off a close loss to No. 21 Tulsa, is looking to end a three match losing streak. Tuesday's match marks the team's last road match before hosting five of the next six matches in Stillwater.
The Hilton San Diego Mission Valley Spring Classic, hosted by San Diego and San Diego State, will potentially match the Cowboys against multiple ranked teams. For updated tournament scheduling and results, follow @CowboyTennis on Twitter.
Eyeing the Opposition
After starting out the season with ten consecutive losses, the Loyola Marymount Lions recorded their first victory of the season in a 6-1 win over UC Riverside on March 8. Tuesday's match will be the Lions' last before opening up conference play.
OSU and Loyola Marymount will meet for the first time in each program's history.
Cowboys in the Rankings
Oklahoma State's men's tennis team moved into the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's national team rankings on Feb. 26 for the first time in 2013 at No. 62. After falling to UNLV and Tulsa, the Cowboys dropped three spots in the polls to No. 65.
International Influx
Much of the Cowboys' early season success can be attributed to the team's large percentage of international players recruited by Jay Udwadia and Yevgen Bondarchuk.
Those internationals include three Cowboy newcomers who have helped the Cowboys match their best start since 2009.
- Oleksiy Arovin (Ukraine): 3-2 singles record at No. 6…5-1 doubles record at No. 3 with Brady Bohrnstedt…Joined the Cowboys this year after previously playing at Donetsk National University in Ukraine.
- Rifat Biktyakov (Uzbekistan): 2-2 singles record at No. 1…5-1 doubles record at Nos. 1 and 2 with Matt Campbell…Recorded match-winning victory against Nebraska…Has accumulated a 40-32 overall singles record in four years with Oklahoma State.
- Matt Campbell (Australia): 3-7 singles record at Nos. 3, 4 and 5…6-1 doubles record at Nos. 1 and 2…Joined OSU after reaching the JUCO national championship with Tyler Junior College in 2011 and 2012.
- Denys Pume (Ukraine): 5-5 singles record at Nos. 2, 3 and 4…7-0 doubles record at Nos. 1 and 2.
Doubles Domination
In ten of the 11 matches this season, the Cowboys have gained an early lead by winning each match's doubles point. After being swept in the season opener by 19th-ranked Tennessee, the Cowboys have won 20 straight doubles matches. The biggest contributors to that category are Denys Pume and Richard Del Nunzio, who have achieved an undefeated 6-0 record together in doubles play.
Reversing a Trend
Oklahoma State, coming off a 7-14 year, is looking to earn the team's first winning season since 2009. Before the 2009 season, the Cowboys hadn't had a losing season since 1999.
The squad finished off its fall season with a combined individual singles record of 17-19, highlighted by Biktyakov's championship run at the Larry Easley Memorial Classic. The Cowboys currently sit at 6-5.
ighlighted by Biktyakov's championship run at the Larry Easley Memorial Classic. The Cowboys currently sit at 6-5.
