Men's Tennis Opens Big 12 Play

NORMAN, Okla. - The University of Oklahoma men's tennis team is set to open Big 12 play on Sunday against Nebraska at 12 p.m. at the Headington Family Tennis Center in Norman.

Oklahoma returned from Honolulu, Hawaii, with one more win, which extended their winning streak to 10. The Sooners defeated Bowdoin College, 7-0, on Friday, but did not compete against Hawaii or Hawaii-Pacific due to heavy rains in the area.

If Oklahoma defeats Nebraska, the squad will match the longest winning streak under head coach Paul Lockwood. The longest streak under Lockwood's tenure came at the beginning of the 2005 spring season when the Sooners opened with 11 wins.

Over the years, Oklahoma has dominated Nebraska and has tallied a 47-8 all-time series record. The Sooners have won the last two matches versus the Huskers.

Admission is free to Sunday's match. After the match, there will be a team autograph session for the men's and women's teams.

Oklahoma will take one day off after its match against Nebraska and will return to action on Tuesday, March 28, to face Colorado at 5 p.m. in another Big 12 home match. The Sooners will travel to Austin to face Red River Rival Texas on Friday, March 31.

Last Outing
The Sooner men's tennis team downed Bowdoin College, 7-0, on March 17 in Honolulu, Hawaii, and extended their winning streak to 10. Oklahoma was scheduled to play Hawaii and Hawaii-Pacific earlier in the week, but those matches were cancelled due to heavy rains in the area.

The Sooners won all doubles matches and all singles matches in straight sets. In doubles, the duos of Alexei Ivanov and Marek Velicka, Federico Chavarria and Tommy Garrison and Matt Long and Ryan Thomas picked up wins for Oklahoma. In singles, Velicka, Ivanov, Garrison, Thomas, Lee Gregg and Sergey Avdeyev competed for Oklahoma.

Postmatch Notes
With the win, the Sooners extended their winning streak to 10. Oklahoma has shut out its past five opponents and has blanked 10 this season. Only in 1977, 1982 and 2003 did the Sooner squad have more consecutive shut outs.
If Oklahoma wins its next match, the squad will tie the longest winning streak under head coach Paul Lockwood.
In the five matches since March 6, the OU team has defeated all singles opponents in straight sets.

Going Streaking
Ryan Thomas is perfect in spring matches at 10-0 and is 11-1 overall this season. Thomas is tied with Lee Gregg with the most consecutive spring dual victories (10). Other Sooners who are riding streaks of five or more wins include Alexei Ivanov and Cale Planck, who have both won seven straight dual matches.

Thomas also has a spotless record in doubles with Matt Long as the duo has tallied a 7-0 mark. Marek Velicka and Ivanov and Federico Chavarria and Tommy Garrison have also won their last seven dual matches.

Scouting Nebraska
The Huskers' latest win over Hawaii-Pacific on March 18 put them at 10-4 on the season. Nebraska has now won their last two matches.

Junior James Clow, who has switched between the No. 3 and No. 4 singles positions, has compiled the best record of the squad with a 10-3 mark. Clow has also contributed to Nebraska's success in doubles by pairing with fellow junior Arturo Navarro for a 7-2 record.

The Sooners faced Nebraska earlier this spring at the ITA Central Region Team Indoor Championships in Tulsa. In the semifinals, Oklahoma handed Nebraska a 4-0 loss and advanced to the finals.

Sooners in the Rankings
Junior Marek Velicka fell to No. 84 in singles in the latest Fila Collegiate Tennis Rankings released by the ITA on Thursday. Velicka, who is 13-5 overall this spring, has won his last two matches against Texas-San Antonio and Bowdoin College. He is 7-3 in spring matches and a perfect 4-0 in regional play. Velicka and Alexei Ivanov fell out of the doubles rankings in the latest poll.

Oklahoma is at No. 44 with the release of the latest computer rankings.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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