Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowboy Tennis Makes First Road Trip Of 2014
February 05, 2014 | Cowboy Tennis
Feb. 5, 2014
STILLWATER, Okla. -
The No. 29 Oklahoma State men's tennis team will play its first matches away from the Greenwood Tennis Center this weekend when it takes on No. 36 Alabama on Saturday and finishes the weekend set by traveling to Atlanta, Ga., to face the Georgia State Panthers on Sunday.
OSU (6-0) is coming off its biggest win in nearly six years and has run out to its best start since 1998. The Cowboys' 4-2 victory over No. 6 Tennessee helped the team jump 21 spots in this week's ITA Team Rankings, moving from the top 50's final slot to No. 29.
Saturday's match against the Crimson Tide will kick off at 1 p.m. CT, while Sunday's match will hold its first serve at 9 a.m. CT. For more updates and information, follow @CowboyTennis on Twitter.
Eyeing the Opposition
32nd-ranked Alabama will be the Cowboys' second of eight consecutive opponents ranked in this season's ITA Preseason Rankings, and will also be the first opponent Oklahoma State will face on the road this year. The Crimson Tide (4-2) recorded a win over No. 41 San Diego in the consolation round of ITA's Kickoff Weekend qualifier, but fell to ranked foes California and Texas.
Daniil Proskura (No. 14) and Becker O'Shaughessey (No. 51) give the Tide a powerful one-two punch in singles play, while the two hold the No. 57 spot in ITA's Men's Doubles Rankings. Alabama and Oklahoma State are tied at one in the all-time head-to-head series, with the Cowboys' last win coming in 1982.
The Georgia State Panthers were victorious in their first two matches of 2014, but come into this weekend on a four-match losing streak after falling to ranked opponents Wichita State, Columbia and Cornell. The Sun Belt foe will take on Wichita State and ETSU this weekend before welcoming the Cowboys on Saturday.
Welcome to the Rankings
After beginning the season unranked, the Cowboys jumped into the No. 51 spot of the ITA Rankings on Jan. 21, and currently sit at No. 29. It's the highest in-season rank for Cowboy Tennis since 2010 after sitting at No. 24 in the Jan. 26, 2010 rankings.
OSU joins the rest of its conference opponents in the national rankings, and will look to continue its strong play to surpass Big 12 foes Baylor (No. 6), Oklahoma (No. 7) and Texas (No. 10), while also holding ground on TCU (No. 34) and No. 53 Texas Tech.
Doubles Domination
The 2013 Cowboy Tennis squad saw its doubles team compile a 37-14 dual record, marking a massive improvement for the team and helping OSU begin to develop a reputation as one of the nation's up-and-coming doubles powers.
That success has passed on into 2014, as the Cowboys' doubles squads remain an impressive 11-2 through six matches in dual play. The team also provided strong performances in the fall despite pairing with new partners, as Oklahoma State sent two doubles teams to the quarterfinal round of ITA's Central Region Championships.
Shock And Awe
The Cowboys' 6-0 start to open the 2014 campaign matches the 1998 squad for the second- best start in team history. A win over Alabama on Friday would tie the 1997 Cowboy Tennis Netters' 7-0, and defeating Georgia State on Saturday would give this year's team the best start in school history.
Home Cooking
The 2014 season has not only seen the Cowboys jump out to one of their best starts in school history, as it has also helped OSU compile its longest home winning streak since a 12-match streak from 2006-08.
The Pokes are a perfect 6-0 at the Greenwood Tennis Center, and will look to increase that mark on March 7 when they welcome No. 20 Wake Forest to Stillwater, kicking off a five-match home stand.
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. OSU is 4-0 against currently ranked opponents in 2014.
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.
