Published: May 04, 2008 12:15 am            

No. 20 netters open NCAAs at Tulsa

Debois Tennis Center is considered home for the Oklahoma State men’s tennis team.

Michael D. Case Tennis Center in Tulsa is a close second.

The Cowboys always get plenty of court time in Tulsa due to the unpredictable weather in Oklahoma, so the surface, surroundings and routine will be nothing new on Saturday when the program opens its sixth straight NCAA Tournament appearance with a first-round match against Denver at 1 p.m. No. 11 seed Tulsa (21-4) faces Binghamton at 4 p.m. in the other first round match with the two winners squaring off on Sunday at 1 p.m.

Sunday’s winner won’t have to travel far — the Round of 16 through the championship final will also be at Michael D. Case Tennis Center from May 16-20.

“There is such a fine line between so many teams once you get into that Top 25 range,” said O-State head coach James Wadley, in his 36th year running the program. “Having the NCAA Tournament in Tulsa is going to be nice. It would be nice to be playing into that second weekend.”

A year ago, the Cowboys beat Sacramento State and Oklahoma in Stillwater before falling to UCLA in the Round of 16 in Athens, Ga. It was OSU’s eighth Sweet 16 appearance.

The University of Denver (18-6) provides plenty of first-round competition. The Bears’ 18 wins are a school record and they are making their NCAA debut. DU is led by No. 36 Adam Holmstrom (18-2) and an unbeaten No. 1 doubles tandem of Holmstrom and Niklas Persson, ranked 12th.

In a 5-2 loss to Texas Tech, Holmstrom beat Bojan Szumanski in three sets and teamed with Persson for an 8-6 victory in doubles against 13th-ranked Szumanski and Christian Rojmar.

The Pokes’ 16-9 record is much better than it looks. Wadley’s squad takes a No. 20 ranking into next week with seven of the losses coming to Top 10 teams this spring.

Tulsa, ranked 11th, beat O-State, 6-1, on April 9 in Tulsa, the lone victory coming from third-ranked and Big 12 Player of the Year Oleksandr Nedovyesov, who beat No. 18 Arnau Brugues in straight sets at No. 1 singles.

The Tulsa Regional winner most likely gets a shot at No. 6 Southern California (19-4) in the Round of 16.

        

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