Spring is present in Stillwater, and the Cowboys are right in their element.
The OSU Cowboys hosted the Wichita State Shockers for their first match outdoors at the Greenwood Tennis Center. The Cowboys won 5-2 against the Shockers bringing their record to 9-3 on the season.
The Cowboys fell short in the doubles point, but bounced back during singles in what was almost a sweep.
The Cowboys have been itching to start outdoor play, and with sunny skies and the weather staying in the 60s and above, the Cowboys got their wish. Coach Dustin Taylor has emphasized how the Cowboys’ play style is most complimented by outdoor conditions.
“We're tactically a pretty darn good tennis team, but we're not the biggest guys,” Taylor said. “We're not the biggest servers. We got guys that play from the baseline a tremendous amount and don't come forward a ton. So we're more of an outdoor team. We can't wait to get outside. And you saw that tonight.We're excited that we're going to be outside as much as we possibly can moving forward and tonight was a good sign of why we like getting outside.”
The Cowboys won five of the six singles points. The Cowboys credit their playing style to be more suited for outdoor play, especially those who are international players and are used to outdoor tennis.
"I love the outdoors,” Isaac Becroft said. “I come from New Zealand. There is more outdoor tennis there and outdoor tennis is more like real tennis to be honest. All the guys are stoked to be outside. Most of us have grown up in Europe or down in Australia, New Zealand and it's a lot of outdoor tennis; not much cold conditions there.”
The feeling is mutual among the team; they are excited to get back to playing the tennis that they know on the outdoor courts at the Greenwood Tennis Center. Cowboys’ Leighton Allen agrees that most of the players on the team have play styles that are best suited for the outdoor courts.
“Yes, absolutely,” Allen said. “I mean, playing outdoors like the elements itself, it's warmer, and I have an outdoor game as well and most of the guys on our team have an outdoor game too. So it definitely favors us and our courts are really bouncy, really gritty. I think the outdoors favors us a lot.”