Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboy Tennis Prepared to Open Spring Season
January 14, 2014 | Cowboy Tennis
Jan. 14, 2014
STILLWATER, Okla. -
Oklahoma State's men's tennis team will kick off its 2014 spring dual season on Friday with a doubleheader against Southern Illinois and South Dakota State, beginning at 1 p.m. CST.
The start of the Cowboys' season also marks a new era for the program, as the squad will unveil OSU's newest athletic facility, the Greenwood Tennis Center. Fans are encouraged to attend Friday's inaugural match at the team's new home, considered to be one of the finest tennis complexes in the country.
Also this weekend, OSU will host its first ranked opponent of the year in No. 34 Minnesota. The Golden Gophers will open their season against the Cowboys on Sunday at 11 a.m., also at the Greenwood Tennis Center.
For live scores and updates, follow @CowboyTennis on Twitter.
Eyeing the Opposition
This weekend's three-match homestand will pit the Cowboys against Southern Illinois and South Dakota State in a Friday doubleheader, and will wrap up in an 11:00 a.m. meeting with 34th-ranked Minnesota on Sunday.
Southern Illinois, coming off a 13-6 year in 2013 and a berth in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament semifinals, will also be making its season debut on Friday. The Cowboys are undefeated in six appearances against the Salukis, with the team's last win coming in 1999.
The South Dakota State Jackrabbits will come to Stillwater after making their season debut on Thursday against Arkansas State. After posting an even 11-11 mark last year, SDSU will also look to gain its first win against OSU in a series led 1-0 by the Cowboys.
Switching Things Up
The Intercollegiate Tennis Association has implemented a revised set of dual match rules that will run on a trial system from Jan. 1 to Feb. 17, affecting the Cowboys' first nine matches. The revisions, created to decrease match length time and engage fans, are highlighted by the following changes:
The three doubles matches will each consist of one set to 6, with no-ad scoring and a tie-breaker at 5-all. Once a team has won two doubles matches, the remaining doubles match shall not be completed.
Six singles matches will follow the doubles. Each singles match is two out of three sets, with each set using no-ad scoring and a tie-breaker at 5-all in each set.
All singles matches will be played to completion unless both coaches agree to do otherwise.
There will be no warm-up against opponents before the first point is played in doubles and singles: players will be expected to warm-up with their own team prior to the scheduled match time.
The Future Is Now
The Cowboys bring in the year with a bang by debuting the Greenwood Tennis Center, Oklahoma State's newest athletic facility that will give the tennis program its first new home in more than 30 years. The state-of-the-art complex houses six indoor courts and 12 future outdoor courts, as well as an electronic scoreboard and videoboard.
2014 will also mark the debut of new assistant coach Pepe Cabellero, who joins the Cowboys after serving two years as head coach of the Hong Kong Tennis Association. Caballero takes the team's position after former assistant Yevgen Bondarchuk held the spot for the last eight years.
Taking Their Talents to Stillwater
Head Coach Jay Udwadia's 2014 signing class brings five new members to the Cowboy Tennis squad and is highlighted by several international standouts, as well as last year's top high school player in Oklahoma.
- Sebastian Sachs (Ditzingen, Germany) – posted a 4-4 fall record that included a semifinal trip in the Racquet Club Collegiate Invitational. Sachs has also made a name for himself on the international circuit by earning several ATP points and performing well against international competition.
- Arjun Kadhe (Pune, India) – has experience in each of the four Grand Slams at the junior level, including a quarterfinal doubles run at last year's French Open. He has also consistently held a No. 1 ranking in each of India's junior age groups.
- Lucas Gerch (Berlin, Germany) – combined with Vasili Caripi to reach the doubles quarterfinal at last fall's ITA Central Region Championships, finishing the season with a 6-1 doubles mark. Gerch also went 2-4 in singles play.
- Nathan Roper (Edmond, Okla.) – earned Oklahoma's Jim Thorpe Player of the Year award twice after winning three consecutive individual state champions at Edmond North HS. Roper was also named an Army National Reserve Scholar-Athlete, and led Edmond North to team state championships in each of his four varsity years.
- Nicolai Ferrigno (Hvidovre, Denmark) – joins the Cowboys after two successful years at Cameron University. Ferrigno compiled an impressive 22-2 singles mark last year at Cameron, and finished the season ranked No. 18 in ITA's Division II rankings.
Strength of Schedule
Coach Udwadia has given the Cowboys a challenging task for the spring by scheduling 16 ranked opponents, giving OSU the 33rd most difficult schedule in the country based on number of ranked opponents faced and quality of opponent. The team's tough slate includes six matches against teams ranked in the top 25, as well as contests against top-10 opponents Baylor, Oklahoma and Tennessee. Seven of the Cowboys' ranked opponents will visit Stillwater, including three in the top ten.
