No. 18 Red Raiders Primed for Big 12 Championship

LUBBOCK, Texas - The No. 18 Texas Tech men's tennis team is travelling to Lawrence, Kansas to participate in the 2019 Big 12 Championship, beginning on Friday at 9 a.m. CT.

The Red Raiders, who earned a four seed, will take on fifth-seeded Oklahoma in the quarterfinal round.

Tech enters this year's tournament with a 15-10 regular season record, including a 7-2 mark at home. The Red Raiders are also riding a two-game winning streak, as they defeated a pair of conference foes in No. 17 Oklahoma and No. 6 Baylor.

LAST TIME OUT
Tech's final home game of the season turned into an impressive upset bid, as the Red Raiders took down No. 6 Baylor by a score of 4-3 on Sunday at the McLeod Tennis Center.

Seniors Tommy Mylnikov and Artem Kaphsuk, who were honored before the match as part of senior day, came up big for the Red Raiders in Sunday's win, as they both produced wins to aid in Tech's victory. Mylnikov began the match with a win on court two in doubles play with fellow playing partner Jackson Cobb, while Kapshuk provided his first ever match-clinching victory on court six, as he took down his opponent in a third set to give Tech the 4-3 match win.

Sunday's victory was the first over a top-10 opponent since the Red Raiders took down No. 8 Oklahoma State in the semifinal round of the 2017 Big 12 Championship.

RED RAIDERS IN THE RANKINGS
Tech received its highest ranking of the season on Tuesday, as the Red Raiders were ranked as the No. 18 team in the nation by Oracle/ITA. This is Tech's fourth-consecutive week to be ranked inside the top-25.

Juniors Parker Wynn and Bjorn Thomson continued to climb the ranks in doubles play, as the seasoned tandem were ranked at No. 4 following a win over the No. 1 ranked duo from Baylor on Sunday. It is Thomson and Wynn's highest ranking this season.

Wynn also moved up in the singles ranking, moving up to No. 79 from his previous spot at No. 86. This is Wynn's highest singles ranking this year.

Mylnikov was the final Red Raider to make an appearance in the rankings, as he was slotted at No. 108, an eight spot jump from a week ago. It was Mylnikov's highest singles ranking since Feb. 6 of this year.

QUICK HITS
Tech will be aiming to progress past the quarterfinals for the second time in three years on Friday. The last time the Red Raiders did so, they advanced to the final round of the tournament.

The Red Raiders will also be looking to defeat the Oklahoma Sooners for the second time in their last three matches, as Tech took down then No. 17 Oklahoma by a score of 4-3 on April 7th at the McLeod Tennis Center.

Wynn and sophomore Ilgiz Valiev have had the hot hand for Tech in singles play, as the two have combined to produce a three-match winning streak. Both players also lead the team with three ranked wins each this season.

Freshman Franco Ribero, in what will be his first postseason action as a Red Raider, will be gunning for his 16th singles win this season on Friday. He trails only Wynn (16) in dual match singles wins this spring.

Thomson and Wynn aren't the only players who have experienced success in doubles play, as the pairing of Cobb and Mylnikov are 13-6 in dual matches this spring, including wins in six of their last 10 matches.

The Red Raiders are seeking their first Big 12 Championship title in program history. Tech has advanced to the final round twice, falling to TCU in both 2016 and 2017.

LIVE RESULTS
Fans are encouraged to follow along with live stats of this weekend's action at the following link.

FOLLOW THE RED RAIDERS
Visit www.TexasTech.com for the latest news and information on the Texas Tech men's tennis program. Fans are also encouraged to follow the program on its social media outlets at www.facebook.com/techmenstennis and @TexasTechMTEN on Twitter and Instagram.

Texas Tech University Athletics

No. 18 Red Raiders Primed for Big 12 Championship

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Players Mentioned

Jackson Cobb

Tommy Mylnikov

Franco Ribero

Bjorn Thomson

Ilgiz Valiev

Parker Wynn

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