Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboys' Match With Idaho Moved To Tulsa
April 01, 2013 | Cowboy Tennis
April 1, 2013
STILLWATER, Okla. -
Oklahoma State's men's tennis team will face No. 61 Idaho at 10 a.m. on Tuesday at Tulsa's Michael D. Case Tennis Center. The match has been relocated due to weather constraints.
OSU (10-8) is coming off a home sweep of Wichita State and Seminole State College, as well as a tough defeat at the hands of the SMU Mustangs. Tuesday's match will mark the Cowboys' last before the start of Big 12 play.
Eyeing the Opposition
An 11-match winning streak to start out the season has helped the Idaho Vandals reach an impressive 19-3 record on the year. The squad's strongest win came when it defeated No. 73 St. Mary's on March 9.
OSU is 2-0 all-time against Idaho, with the Cowboys' last win coming in 1999.
Cowboys in the Rankings
Denys Pume and Richard Del Nunzio were placed at No. 70 in Tuesday's ITA National Doubles Rankings. The two Cowboys newcomers have connected to achieve a 10-1 record on the season, leading an OSU doubles squad that has only been defeated four times this season.
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): 4-2 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): 3-5 singles record at No. 1…8-2 doubles record at Nos. 1 and 2 with Matt Campbell…Recorded match-winning victory against Nebraska…Has accumulated a 43-36 overall singles record in four years with Oklahoma State.
- Matt Campbell (Australia): 8-2 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): 8-7 singles record at Nos. 2, 3 and 4…11-1 doubles record at Nos. 1 and 2.
Doubles Domination
In 16 of the 18 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 won 32 straight doubles matches before losing at SMU. The biggest contributors to that category are Denys Pume and Richard Del Nunzio, who have achieved a 10-1 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 10-8.
