Oklahoma State University Athletics
Oklahoma State University
Big 12 Championships
Cowboy Tennis Set To Compete At Big 12 Championships
April 21, 2022 | Cowboy Tennis
Match Notes
The Basics
Oklahoma State's men's tennis team (12-11; 0-5) is set for postseason play at the Big 12 Championship in Fort Worth, Texas on the campus of TCU. The Cowboys will open play against No. 12 Texas (15-9 overall; 3-2) in the quarterfinals on Friday at 3 p.m. The winner of the match will advance to the semifinals to face No. 4 Baylor (22-3 overall; 4-1) on Saturdayat 3 p.m.
Following the Action
For Friday's quarterfinal match against Texas, live stats can also be viewed at: https://okla.st/36y0QAk and live video at: https://okla.st/3Ey0LJz. For the following matches, all live stats can be viewed at: and live video at: https://okla.st/3EH9TeX. For season-long coverage of Oklahoma State Men's tennis, visit okstate.com and follow @CowboyTennis on Twitter and Instagram.
In the Rankings
The Cowboys landed at No. 54 in the latest ITA Division I rankings. OSU's doubles duo of Tyler Zink and Seb Nothhaft checked in at No. 45, clocking their fourth consecutive week in the top 50. The pairing holds a 5-2 record on the season, including three nationally ranked takedowns in dual play. Alex Garcia and Max Verboven found themselves in the doubles rankings for the first time this season at No. 85 after defeating No. 15 Eliot Spizzirri and Siem Woldeab to improve to 10-6. In the individual rankings, Tyler Zink landed at No. 112.
Series History
The last time the Cowboys and the Longhorns met in postseason play dates back to the Big 12 semifinals during the 2021 season, where UT came out on top, 4-1. Texas holds the overall advantage in meeting outside of the regular season, 4-1, dating back to 1997. Oklahoma State's lone win comes from semifinals of 2003, where a dominating 4-2 win sent them to the finals. In the regular season, UT hold the all-time record, 33-4.
Oklahoma State From A Distance
Oklahoma State closed out league play with two tight-knit matchups to No. 1 TCU and No. 12 Texas. Max Verboven and Alex notably defeated No. 15 Eliot Spizzirri and Siem Woldeab of Texas. The Cowboys rounded out regular season play on a high note, dominating Charlotte, 4-1.
Impressively, head coach Dustin Taylor's squad had a 14 straight doubles point streak on the season and closed play knotching 15 doubles points in the 23 matches in the season.
OSU's spring slate has been filled with a competitive schedule full of opportunities for the new class of Cowboys. OSU began a new chapter in 2021-22 with nine new faces and one veteran that fill the roster. Luke Hammond highlights the new season as the only returner from the 2020-21 season. Notably, six of the new faces first-year head coach Dustin Taylor recruited are transfers from Power Five schools.
The biggest storyline has been Tyler Zink, who earned a main draw wild card at the U.S. Open. The two-time All-American finished the 2021 season with a final ITA ranking of No. 8 in doubles at the University of Georgia. Zink also had a run in the ITA All-American Championships as well as individual tournaments throughout his fall campaign. The junior also found himself ranked among the nation's best by the ITA Preseason ranking at No. 30.
Accompanying Taylor is assistant coach Dane Webb. During his collegiate career at the University of Oklahoma, Webb was a three-time All-American and the most decorated Sooner in the program with a total of 212 wins during his run.
Streak and Trends
Fran Pini and Leighton Allen hold a nine-match winning streak in doubles play.
Freshman Fran Pini is looking for his fifth-straight win of the season.
The Cowboys have won the doubles point in 15 of the 20 matches on the season.
An Oklahoma State Win Would...
Improve OSU's all-time record to 4-2 against Texas in postseason play.
Give head coach Dustin Taylor his first postseason win for his first year at OSU.
Give head coach Dustin Taylor his 13th win for his first season at OSU.
Players Mentioned
