Mens Tennis to Host Two Weekend Matches

NORMAN, Okla. - The University of Oklahoma men's tennis team will host two matches this weekend against No. 5 Baylor on Friday, April 7, at 6 p.m. and Texas Tech on Sunday, April 9, at 12 p.m. Both matches will be played at the Headington Family Tennis Center in Norman.

The Sooners are coming off three losses to Colorado, Texas and Texas A&M last week. Oklahoma's 5-2 loss to the Buffaloes snapped the squad's 11-match winning streak, which is the longest under head coach Paul Lockwood's career at Oklahoma. The Sooners then fell to Texas, 6-1, and Texas A&M, 7-0, on the road. The three losses dropped Oklahoma to 14-6 overall and 1-3 in the Big 12.

On Sunday, Oklahoma will host Sooner Kids' Club Day at the men's and women's matches. There will be an autograph session following the matches as well as other activities.

Admission is free to all home matches at the Headington Family Tennis Center.

Last Outing
The Sooners faced intense competition in Big 12 play against No. 42 Colorado in Norman and No. 3 Texas and No. 17 Texas A&M on the road.

Oklahoma fell 5-2 in a tough match against Colorado that lasted more than four hours. OU won the doubles point with the help of two duos, senior Alexei Ivanov and junior Marek Velicka and sophomore Federico Chavarria and senior Tommy Garrison. In singles, senior Lee Gregg was the lone Sooner to win his match.

The loss snapped the Sooners' 11-match winning streak, which is tied for the longest under head coach Paul Lockwood's tenure.

Oklahoma went to Texas hoping to bounce back from their loss to Colorado but fell to Texas, 6-1, and Texas A&M, 7-0. Against the Longhorns, the Sooners once again won the doubles point but dropped all singles matches.

Postmatch Notes
Lee Gregg extended his winning streak to 12 matches against Colorado but saw his streak snapped after his loss to Texas' Miguel Reyes Varela.
Oklahoma won the doubles point against Texas, which marked the 11th consecutive match in which the Sooners had done so.
At the No. 2 spot, Federico Chavarria and Tommy Garrison upset Texas' Travis Helgeson and Michael Venus, who were ranked No. 28 in the country in doubles.
OU's loss to Texas A&M was only the second time this season that the squad has been shut out. The other match was on Jan. 22 when Arkansas blanked Oklahoma, 4-0.

Regional Success
Senior Tommy Garrison and junior Marek Velicka have yet to lose a singles match against regional opponents. Garrison is perfect at 4-0 in singles and has faced players from Nebraska, Missouri State and Oral Roberts. He also has a spotless 4-0 record in regional doubles competition with sophomore Federico Chavarria.

Velicka is 5-0 in regional play with wins over Illinois State, Nebraska, Missouri State and Oral Roberts.

Scouting Baylor
The No. 5 Baylor Bears opened conference play on Sunday, April 2, with a win over Texas Tech, which improved their overall record to 13-4.

Four of Baylor's five returning letterwinners and one freshman are listed in the Fila Collegiate Tennis Rankings. Leading the Bears in the rankings at No. 12 is sophomore Lars Poerschke, who has tallied a 25-9 overall record and a 12-6 mark this spring. Poerschke will likely play No. 1 or No. 2 singles against Oklahoma.

Oklahoma holds a 16-11 all-time series advantage over Baylor.

Scouting Texas Tech
No. 42 Texas Tech sits at 11-6 overall and 0-1 in the Big 12 with its most recent loss to Texas. The Red Raiders will face Oklahoma State on Friday, April 7, before heading to Norman.

True freshman Michael Breler leads Texas Tech with a 10-2 spring singles record and has played at the Nos. 3, 4 and 5 positions throughout the spring. Sophomore Adrian Prpic has assumed the the No. 1 spot for every match this season and has posted a 10-7 mark. Prpic has also been the lone No. 1 doubles player for the Red Raiders along with freshman Christian Rojmar.

At 15-14 overall, Oklahoma has a slight edge over Texas Tech in the all-time series.

Sooners in the Rankings
Junior Marek Velicka fell to No. 95 in singles in the latest Fila Collegiate Tennis Rankings released by the ITA on Tuesday. Velicka, who is 14-8 overall this spring, is 8-6 in spring matches and a perfect 5-0 in regional play.

Oklahoma is at No. 46 with the release of the latest computer rankings.

Men's Tennis Receives National Award
The University of Oklahoma men's tennis team was honored as one of the recipients of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association National Team Sportsmanship Award for the month of March.

The ITA National Team Sportsmanship Award is a monthly award that began in 2003 and goes to men's and women's teams that have exemplified outstanding sportsmanship, character and ethical conduct in the true spirit of competition and college tennis. The winners are nominated by opposing coaches and selected by the ITA Ethics and Infractions Committee from nominations received from all ITA member institutions (NCAA Divisions I, II and III, NAIA and Junior/Community Colleges).

Oklahoma and Clarion University in Pennsylvania were this season's first recipients. It marked the first time that Oklahoma won the award.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

Mens Tennis to Host Two Weekend Matches

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