Cowboy Tennis Set For A Pair Of Conference Road Tests

The Basics

Oklahoma State's men's tennis team (11-7 overall; 0-1) will head to the Lone Star State to continue conference play starting with the No. 4 Baylor Bears (19-3; 1-1) on Friday at 6 p.m. (CST) in Waco. The Cowboys will cap the weekend against Texas Tech (12-9; 0-2) on Sunday at 1 p.m. (CST) in Lubbock.

Following the Action

For Friday's match against Baylor, live stats can also be viewed at: https://okla.st/3NSkNml and live video at: https://okla.st/3ENfCi9. For Sunday's match against Texas Tech, live stats can be viewed at: https://okla.st/38Cvo4R and live video at: https://okla.st/3Jica0T. For season-long coverage of the Oklahoma State Men's tennis, visit okstate.com and follow @CowboyTennis on Twitter and Instagram.

In the Rankings

The Cowboys rose to No. 44 in the last ITA Division I rankings. Oklahoma State's dynamic duo of Tyler Zink and Seb Nothhaft broke into the top 30 for the first time this season after clocking in at No. 26 in the doubles rankings. The pairing maintained a perfect 5-0 record after recording a takedown of Oklahoma's No. 46 Welsh Hotard and Alex Martinez, 7-6(4) to clinch the doubles point in their first conference outing.

Series History

Baylor holds a 30-9 all-time advantage over the Cowboys while OSU is 22-17 against the Red Raiders. Oklahoma State's last victory against the Bears came during the 2018 season, with OSU tallying a 4-3 victory. The last time the Red Raiders and Cowboys met was in the Big 12 tournament, where OSU downed Texas Tech, 4-3.

Oklahoma State From A Distance

The Cowboys are coming off of a high-caliber weekend after opening conference play on the road to No. 33 Oklahoma before a quick turnaround at home to host the No. 32 Tulsa Golden Hurricane. A hard-fought 4-3 battle fell the way of Oklahoma, but the Cowboys collected their 13th consecutive doubles point in the outing. The Pokes got back into the win column after a gritty, 4-2 victory against Tulsa and ran its doubles win streak to 14 in a row.

The remainder of OSU's spring slate is 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. Hammond leads a class of three freshmen, two sophomores and four juniors. 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

Tyler Zink and Seb Nothhaft hold an undefeated 5-0 record in doubles play.

The Cowboys have won the doubles point in the last 14 consecutive matches.

The Cowboys have won the last three consecutive road matches this season.

An Oklahoma State Win Would...

Improve OSU's all-time record to 30-10 against Baylor.

Improve OSU's all-time record to 23-17 against Texas Tech.

Give OSU its first conference road win of the season.

Give head coach Dustin Taylor his 12th and 13th win for his first season at OSU.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Luke Hammond

Tyler Zink

Oklahoma State University Athletics