Cowboy Tennis Set to Open Big 12 Play

The Basics
Oklahoma State's men's tennis team opens Big 12 play with home matches against BYU and Utah this week. OSU will host the Cougars on Thursday at 5 p.m. and the Utes on Saturday at 1 p.m. The Cowboys, amid a three-match win streak, aim to win the conference opener for the second-consecutive season. Oklahoma State has outscored its opponents 15-3 during its current win streak. In the Dustin Taylor era, the Cowboys are unbeaten against the Cougars and the Utes.

Following the Action
For both matches, live stats can be found at: okla.st/statbroadcast. The live stream for OSU's match against BYU can be found at: https://we.track.tennis/#/@public-9_6Kj2oq6bg/evt-MsWCXV1Rsk0, and https://we.track.tennis/#/@public-9_6Kj2oq6bg/evt-HKYdWdFCIlk for the match against Utah.

Meet the Cowboys
Graduate student Isaac Becroft leads the Cowboys. The captain is one of five returning players from last year's 18-10 squad that went to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Other returners include Alessio Basile, Francisco Pini, Derek Pham, and Ty Wunderlich. Head Coach Dustin Taylor brought in six freshmen in this year's recruiting class, including Tennessee transfer Nicolas Kobelt, Ian Bracks, Thomas Gadecki, Matei Onofrei, Ben Stecker, and Finn Hopfe.

In The Rankings
The Cowboys checked in at No. 5 in the Big 12 Preseason Coaches Poll after finishing fourth in the Big 12 tournament in the 2024 season. No. 67 Isaac Becroft holsters a 4-4 record on court one and is 1-3 against ranked foes. Alessio Basile and Nicolas Kobelt are the lone ranked doubles pairing for the Cowboys at No. 48. The duo is 5-2 overall and 1-0 against ranked opponents.

Series History
OSU meets up with the Cougars for the second-consecutive season and aims for a third-consecutive win. Oklahoma State topped BYU, 4-2, in 2024's meeting. The Cowboys are 2-1 all-time against the Cougars, with the only loss coming in 1984.

Oklahoma State is set to face the Utes for the sixth time in history. The Cowboys have never lost to Utah and have outscored the Utes, 26-9, over the first five meetings. Oklahoma State defeated Utah in last season's match, 4-0.

Streaks & Trends

OSU has won back-to-back matches against BYU
OSU has won five-consecutive matches against Utah
OSU has never lost to Utah
Derek Pham leads the Cowboys in wins with eight
Oklahoma State has never lost to BYU or Utah in the Dustin Taylor era.
Pham has won six consecutive singles matches
Nicolas Kobelt has won three straight singles matches

A Pair of Oklahoma State Wins Would...

Improve its record to 7-8
Make it 6-0 against Utah
Make it 3-1 against BYU
Give it six consecutive wins against Utah
Give it three straight wins against BYU
Make it 3-1 at the Greenwood Tennis Center this season
Make it 121-37 all-time at the Greenwood Tennis Center

Oklahoma State University Athletics

Players Mentioned

Alessio Basile

Isaac Becroft

Ian Bracks

Thomas Gadecki

Finn Hopfe

Nicolas Kobelt

Matei Onofrei

Derek Pham

Francisco Pini

Ben Stecker

Ty Wunderlich

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