Univ. of Oklahoma Team Page
NORMAN, Okla. -- The No. 5 University of Oklahoma men’s tennis team continues its road stretch with matches against No. 22 Wake Forest and No. 1 Virginia this weekend.
“It’s a challenging road trip going east and going that far,” OU head coach John Roddick said, “but I know the guys are looking forward to it.”
The Sooners (8-2) begin their weekend with a match against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons (9-2) Friday, March 1, at 3 p.m. CT.
“They’re ranked 22 this week, so they’ve clearly had a good year so far,” Roddick said. “It’s not something we’re going to overlook.”
Wake Forest has four wins over teams currently in the ITA top 60. Their only losses have come to No. 8 Tennessee and No. 21 Michigan.
The Demon Deacons have two ranked singles players, No. 37 Amogh Prabhakar and No. 123 David Hopkins. In doubles, Prabhakar and Hopkins partner as the No. 55 team.
Wake Forest enters the match after a three-week hiatus. They last played when they beat Elon University, 6-1, on Sunday, Feb. 10.
After they play Wake Forest, the Sooners continue their road weekend against the Virginia Cavaliers (6-0) Sunday, March 3, at 11 a.m. CT.
“It’s an away match and the favors are on their side,” senior Costin Paval said. “But in this situation we just have to look at it positively, play like there’s nothing to lose and just try to do our best. Hopefully we’re going to end up on top.”
The Cavaliers won the ITA National Team Indoor Championships in February, beating No. 2 USC, 4-2, in the finals Monday, Feb. 18. During the Indoor Championships, Virginia also accumulated wins over No. 4 Duke, No. 7 Ohio State and No. 14 Washington.
Virginia boasts six ranked singles players: No. 1 Alex Domijan, No. 3 Jarmere Jenkins, No. 8 Mac Styslinger, No. 24 Ryan Shane, No. 63 Harrison Richmond and No. 65 Mitchell Frank. The Cavaliers also have four ranked doubles teams: No. 2 Jenkins and Styslinger, No. 7 Richmond and Domijan, No. 37 Shane and Julen Uriguen and No. 45 Domijan and Frank.
OU enters the weekend after beating No. 11 Texas A&M, 5-2, in College Station, Texas, Sunday, Feb. 24.
After this weekend, the Sooners complete their month of away matches when they face No. 42 Louisville Friday, March 8.
Follow @OU_Tennis on Twitter and like Oklahoma Men’s Tennis on Facebook for more information on the men’s tennis program.
