No. 72 OU Men's Tennis Team Travels To No. 4 Baylor

No. 72 Sooners Travel To No. 4 Baylor
The No. 72 Oklahoma men's tennis team returns to conference play Saturday, March 15, when they travel to Waco, Texas, to take on No. 4 Baylor. The Sooners are 11-2 overall and 0-1 in conference action. The Bears are 2-0 in conference play and 13-1 overall following a 6-1 victory over No. 9 Kentucky. Match time is scheduled for 6 p.m. at the Baylor Tennis Center.

The Bears came into Norman last season ranked ninth in the nation and beat unranked Oklahoma, 5-2. OU's Chris Mitchell (Tulsa, Okla.) and Matt Ogle (Tulsa, Okla.) picked up OU's two points with wins at No. 4 and 5 singles, respectively.

OU Wins Three In A Row; Upset No. 71 Michigan State
The Sooners went 3-0 in their last three matches with victories over regional foe Oral Roberts, then-No. 71 Michigan State and Cameron.

The Sooners blew by the Golden Eagles taking all three doubles matches and claiming all six singles contests in straight sets for a 7-0 win. Against the Spartans, OU dropped the doubles point but came back strong in singles taking five of six to claim the victory, 5-2. Oklahoma was equally strong against the Cameron Aggies winning of five of six in singles and taking all three in doubles for a 6-1 victory.

Wins Propel OU Into ITA National Rankings
The University of Oklahoma men's tennis team moved into the No. 72 spot in the latest Omni Hotels Collegiate Tennis Rankings administered by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association. It's the first time the OU men have been ranked by the ITA since closing the 1999-00 season at No. 51 with an overall record of 16-12.

Leading The Sooners
Leading the Sooners in singles are senior Chris Mitchell (Tulsa, Okla.), who sports a 5-0 record at No. 1 singles and freshman Alexei Ivanov (Izhebsk, Russia), who is 5-0 at No. 2 singles. Ivanov also has four wins at No. 1 singles including a 2-6, 6-1, 6-3, win over Michigan State's Andrew Formanczyk, while Mitchell also has four victories at No. 2 singles.

Mitchell and freshman Tommy Garrison (Enid, Okla.) have combined for a 7-1 mark at No. 1 doubles this spring. The duo has been solid since paring up last Fall. They have an overall record of 14-3 this year.

Head Coach Paul Lockwood
Paul Lockwood is In his 16th year as OU's head men's tennis coach. Lockwood has experienced success with his teams over the years both on and off the court. He has compiled a 230-146 (.612) overall record and claimed the Big Eight Conference title in 1992. Lockwood was named the Big Eight Coach of the Year in 1991 and 1992 for his outstanding efforts. Lockwood's teams also earned five consecutive Academic ITA All-America honors from the 1996-97 season to the 2000-2001 season.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

No. 72 OU Men's Tennis Team Travels To No. 4 Baylor

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