OU Hosts #26 UCF in Final Non-Con Showdown

NORMAN – The No. 24 Oklahoma men's tennis team is set for its final non-conference match of the season as No. 26 UCF comes to Norman Saturday. The match is set for a 12 p.m. start on Fox Sports Oklahoma.

Matchday Storylines

• No. 24 OU (8-8) welcomes No. 26 UCF to the Headington Family Tennis Center on Saturday for a marquee matchup with the Knights at noon. The Sooners have met UCF just once in program history – a 6-0 win in Orlando on March 9, 1989.

• OU enters the matchup fresh off a 4-1 upset of No. 15 Arizona on Monday. The Sooners won the doubles point handily, then reeled off three singles wins – including a ranked victory from Mason Beiler on court two - to put away the Wildcats.

• Two individuals and one doubles tandem were ranked in the ITA's first individual release since January. Mason Beiler checked in at No. 105; Jake Van Emburgh is No. 110; and Alex Martinez and Nathan Han are No. 52 nationally. OU moved up two spots in the ITA's first computer rankings of the season to No. 24, their second highest ranking this season.

• Saturday's contest will mark the return of former head coach John Roddick to Norman. Roddick (2010-16) led the Sooners to four straight Big 12 titles (2012-15) and three straight NCAA Finals (2014-16).

• The match with UCF will be the final non-conference clash of the season before the Sooners run through a challenging Big 12 slate. OU is 8-6 in non-conference matches with wins over two top-15 opponents in No. 12 Wake Forest (4-0 on Jan. 23 in the ITA Kickoff Weekend first round) and No. 15 Arizona (4-1 on March 22 in Norman).

Where They Rank

The Sooners moved up to No. 24 in the first ITA computer rankings of the season, up two spots from last week's rankings. OU has been ranked in the ITA top 25 in 57 weeks since head coach Nick Crowell's arrival in 2017, including 18 consecutive weeks in 2017.

Junior Mason Beiler was tabbed No. 105 nationally. The junior is 7-6 on the season playing between courts one, two and three. Jake Van Emburgh checked in at No. 110 and is 7-8 on the season between courts one and three. He has two wins over ranked players this season.

Alex Martinez and Nathan Han entered the rankings at No. 52. The duo is 9-3 on the year with an 8-3 mark on court one and is undefeated (2-0) against ranked opponents there.

UCF is No. 26 in the latest team rankings. Gabriel Decamps represents the Knights in the singles release, where he is No. 4 nationally. Decamps and Trey Hilderbrand at No. 21 in doubles.

Match Info

First serve is set for noon on Saturday. The match will be broadcast on FSOK with Chad McKee and Mark Johnson on the call. Live stats will also be available.

OU Athletics has announced that fans will not be admitted for 2021 matches at the Headington Family Tennis Center due to limited seating capacity related to COVID-19 precautions. Home and visitor student-athletes will receive a limited number of complimentary tickets on a pass-list basis.