Colorado University Athletics
Men's Tennis Hosts No. 11 Oklahoma State
BOULDER ? The University of Colorado men’s tennis team looks for its second straight victory over a ranked opponent Tuesday, March 22 when the Buffaloes host No. 11 Oklahoma State at the South Campus Tennis Courts beginning at 1 p.m. .
CU, ranked No. 43 out of 75 schools in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) poll are coming off its third upset victory over a ranked opponent this season. The Buffaloes look to add the Cowboys to the list of upset victories having defeated New Mexico (twice, No. 33 and No. 54) and Harvard (No. 15).
Tuesday’s match with the Cowboys will be CU’s second Big 12 Conference match of the 2005 season.
This past Saturday, the Buffs flexed its muscle from singles positions No. 3 through No. 6 in convincing fashion to defeat the Lobos at the South Campus Courts. It was CU’s first dual match of the spring played outside on the two-year old courts.
In singles, Chad Tsuda continues to find the winners’ circle at the No. 6 singles position winning his fourth straight on Saturday and improving to 7-2 this dual season. In doubles, Marek Dvorak and Jan Zelezny have found the winning touch at No. 3 having won their last four in a row. They are 8-3 overall with seven of those victories coming in the dual season.
Oklahoma State is 10-4 overall and 1-1 in conference play and feature the No. 50th nationally ranked singles player in Mark Van Elden. Van Elden upset the nation’s No. 1 ranked player from Baylor, Benedikt Dorsch to improve his record to 11-3 on the year. OSU lost to the top-ranked Bears, 4-3 back on March 19.
Match Notes
- Peter Bjork and Marko Bundalo have won two matches in a row at No. 2 doubles (7-6 for the season).
- Marcos Digliodo and Marek Dvorak have won a team-best 15 matches this year, followed by Marko Bundalo (14) and Chad Tsuda (12).
- On the career singles victories list, Chad Tsuda and Marko Bundalo are tied with 38 wins over their three-year career. They are both tied with two others for 27th place.
- Oklahoma State leads the all-time series with CU holding a 34-16-1 record. The Cowboys have won the last six in a row, including twice in Boulder (2001, 2003).
- The No. 13 ranking for Oklahoma State in the March 15 ITA poll was the highest in school history, and highest since being ranked 19th at the end of the 2003 season. It is also believed to be the only time in history that a Division I men’s tennis team from Oklahoma has broken into the top 10.
- Senior Mark Van Elden enters the Colorado match fresh off a 1-6, 6-4, 6-2 win over the No. 1 player in the country, Baylor’s Benedikt Dorsch. Van Elden is now 11-3 on the year at No. 1 singles.