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Men's Tennis
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University of Oklahoma Athletics
No. 1 OU To Play No. 3 Baylor for Title
March 18, 2015 | Men's Tennis
No. 1 Oklahoma vs. No. 3 Baylor 
March 20, 10:30 a.m. CT | Indian Wells Tennis Garden
Indian Wells, Calif.
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SCHEDULE UPDATE
The Sooners will play No. 3 Baylor Sunday at noon CT in the championship match. The Sooners last face Baylor in the semifinals round at the ITA National Indoor Championships. Oklahoma won 4-2 and went on the claim the title.
INDIAN WELLS, Calif. – The No. 1 Oklahoma men's tennis team is in Indian Wells, Calif. this week headlining the field at the BNP Paribas Collegiate Challenge Presented by Oracle. Oklahoma (14-1) will open play against unranked Purdue (4-7) in the first round on Friday, March 20 at 10:30 a.m. CT.
The three-day team event, running March 20-22 at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in conjunction with the BNP Paribas Open, features eight of the best teams from across the country.
FORMAT
The tournament will be played in a two-sided bracket format with all teams guaranteed three matches. Play will be run under the shorted ITA format with the following rules.
- No-ad scoring in both singles and doubles.
- Each match will begin with three doubles matches, each match one set to six, with a tiebreak at 6-all. Two wins in doubles for one team will secure one point and end the remaining match will be stopped.
- After a five-minute intermission, six singles matches will be played. Each match will be played two of three sets, with tiebreaks at 6-all.
- Each singles match will be worth one point.
- Singles matches will be stopped when one team scores four total points.
THE FIELD
Oklahoma headlines an impressive field assembled in Indian Wells this weekend. Joining the Sooners from the ITA top-5 are No. 3 Baylor and No. 4 USC. The Sooners bested both teams en route to winning the 2015 ITA National Indoor Championship last month. Also joining Oklahoma are in-state rival No. 20 Tulsa, No. 28 California, No. 29 Columbia, BYU and first round opponent Purdue.
No. 1 Oklahoma – 14-1
No. 3 Baylor – 12-2
No. 4 USC – 12-2
No. 20 Tulsa – 12-7
No. 28 California – 9-4
No. 29 Columbia – 6-3
NR BYU – 8-9
NR Purdue – 4-7
By virtue of a win over Purdue, the Sooners would be in position to play the winner of No. 28 California vs. No. 29 Columbia in the second round. Should the Sooners win their first two matches they would face the winner of the remaining four teams in the championship match on Sunday.
TOP-25 DOMINANCE
The Sooners have played one of the toughest schedules in the nation, but that hasn't fazed them one bit. OU is 9-1 when playing top-25 teams and boasts 10 wins over teams ranked in the latest ITA top-25 with nine of those wins coming against teams in the top-15. The Sooners are fresh off a come from behind win over No. 7 Virginia at home last Tuesday.
STEADY AS HE GOES
Axel Alvarez has been one reason for Oklahoma's incredible play. The junior from Spain leads the Sooners with 13 wins in dual play, 10 of which have come at No. 2 singles. Alvarez has yet to drop a match in dual play and has won 12 of his matches in straight sets. Alvarez has lost just one set in dual play, and has seven wins over ranked opponents.
DOUBLES TROUBLE
While OU has been dominant in racking up 14 wins so far this season, one area that has given the Sooners some difficulty is doubles. Oklahoma has won the doubles point in only eight of its 15 matches so far this season, but has rebounded to win the dual in all but one such instance. The Sooners dropped the doubles point in their lone loss of the season, at Texas A&M. OU also gave up the doubles point against Virginia in its last match, but rallied to take the dual 4-3.
SOONERS IN THE RANKS
Oklahoma is currently ranked No. 1 by the ITA. The Sooners occupy the top spot for the fifth week in program history and third week in a row. The Sooners' current streak is the only time in program history the team has been No. 1 in consecutive weeks. The team occupied the top spot for a single week immediately following its title at the indoor championships in February and in 2014 after topping Ohio State at home.
The Sooners are well represented in the ranks with four players ranked in singles and two teams ranked in doubles. Junior Axel Alvarez is the highest ranked Sooner at No. 7, sophomore Andrew Harris comes in at No. 19, senior Dane Webb sits at No. 26 and sophomore Alex Ghilea rounds things out at No. 53. The Sooners' top doubles pair of Alvarez and Webb jump one spot to No. 5 this week, while the new pairing of Harris and Ghilea sit at No. 69.
QUICK HITS
- Oklahoma finished indoor play 13-0.
- The Sooners have 10 wins over teams currently ranked in the top-25 and nine teams in the top-15.
- Oklahoma is 6-1 when losing the doubles point.
- The four Sooners ranked in singles are a combined 42-6 in dual play.
- The Sooners are 22-7 in singles against ranked opponents
- At 13-0, Axel Alvarez leads the Sooners in wins.
- Oklahoma's lone loss of the season came in its only outdoor match (Texas A&M, 2/20)
- The Sooners are 12-0 at No. 2 singles. The only position without a loss.
- Florin Bragusi is 5-0 in dual play this season, and 4-0 in three-set matches. Bragusi clinched the wins over Ohio State and Virginia.
QUOTES
Head Coach John Roddick
On the matchup with Purdue:
“I don't know them very well. I saw some of them at All-Americans in the fall, but I imagine a team like that sees this as a big opportunity out on the west coast. I expect a hard fought match and I don't expect an easy match. They probably feel like there is a lot left to this season and this can be a start to a new season against us and in this tournament.”
On the conditions in Indian Wells:
“I imagine it will be similar to the weather we have had lately. It'll be in the 70s and 80s. it can get a little warm, but it is really dry and bit breezy. If it does get breezy it should help us there--maybe us and Baylor or Tulsa who are a little more used to the wind. The conditions will be similar there. The hotter days may affect everyone, but it should be pretty similar.”
On the opportunity the tournament presents:
“You know, we have played the toughest schedule in the country and this tournament just adds to that. With USC and Baylor we will, hopefully, have another opportunity to go out against another team that is maybe a favorite to win the NCAAs. We have some work to do before we can get to that opportunity so I think our guys know that. They've done a great job getting this field together and it will be a neat event for everybody.”
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
Saturday, March 30
Thursday, March 28
Saturday, March 23
Thursday, March 21
