Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboys Host Doubleheader in Stillwater
March 27, 2013 | Cowboy Tennis
March 27, 2013
STILLWATER, Okla. -
Oklahoma State's men's tennis team will return to action on Thursday when it faces Wichita State and Seminole State College in a doubleheader at the DeBois Tennis Complex.
OSU (8-7) will first face off against Wichita State at 12 p.m., and take a short break before taking on Seminole State College around 4:30 p.m. After taking a tough 4-3 defeat to No. 38 San Diego on Saturday, the Cowboys will look to get back on the winning track at home.
Eyeing the Opposition
Two separate four-match winning streaks have helped push the Wichita State Shockers out to a 10-4 record, highlighted by a win over No. 53 Denver in late February. OSU is 33-17 all-time against Wichita State, and currently holds a seven-match winning streak against the Shockers. The teams' most recent meeting ended in a 7-0 OSU victory in 2006.
Seminole State College, the No. 6 JUCO team in the nation, comes into Thursday's match with a 10-3 record and a six-match unbeaten streak. The Cowboys hold a 3-0 series advantage over the Trojans, with the most recent victory coming in 2011.
Cowboys in the Rankings
Denys Pume and Richard Del Nunzio were placed at No. 70 in Tuesday's ITA National Doubles Rankings. The two Cowboy newcomers have connected to achieve a 9-0 record on the season, leading an OSU doubles squad that hasn't lost since the season opener.
International Influx
Much of the Cowboys' early season success can be attributed to the team's large percentage amount 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…6-1 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): 3-4 singles record at No. 1…7-1 doubles record at Nos. 1 and 2 with Matt Campbell…Recorded match-winning victory against Nebraska…Has accumulated a 40-31 overall singles record in four years with Oklahoma State.
- Matt Campbell (Australia): 7-1 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): 7-7 singles record at Nos. 2, 3 and 4…10-0 doubles record at Nos. 1 and 2.
Doubles Domination
In 14 of 15 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 28 straight doubles matches. The biggest contributors to that category are Denys Pume and Richard Del Nunzio, who have achieved an undefeated 9-0 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 8-7.
