Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboy Tennis Hosts No. 15 Tulsa
March 06, 2013 | Cowboy Tennis
March 6, 2013
STILLWATER, Okla. -
The No. 64 Oklahoma State men's tennis team will host its first true home match of the year when it faces No. 15 Tulsa at the DeBois Tennis Complex on Friday at 3 p.m.
The Cowboys' matches against Wichita State and Seminole State on Saturday have been postponed to a later date due to weather conditions.
Eyeing the Opposition
After starting out the season with three consecutive losses, the Tulsa Golden Hurricane has won six of its last eight, including wins over No. 16 Illinois, No. 14 Baylor and No. 37 Minnesota.
OSU is 40-10 all-time against Tulsa, with the Cowboys' last win coming in 2010. Tulsa has won the last two meetings.
Cowboys in the Rankings
Oklahoma State's men's tennis team moved into the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's national team rankings last week for the first time in 2013 at No. 62. After falling to UNLV, the Cowboys dropped two spots in the polls to No. 64.
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): 2-1 singles record at No. 1…4-1 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): 3-5 singles record at Nos. 3, 4 and 5…5-1 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): 5-45 singles record at Nos. 2, 3 and 4…7-0 doubles record at Nos. 1 and 2.
Doubles Domination
In nine of the ten 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 16 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 6-4.
