Sooners Set for Road Trip to Auburn, South Carolina

NORMAN – The No. 18 Oklahoma men's tennis team hits the road for two away competitions against Auburn on Thursday, March 13, at noon CT and South Carolina on Saturday, March 15, at 11 a.m. CT.

MATCH DAY BASICS

Thursday's match will be played at Auburn's Yarbrough Tennis Center and can be followed through live stream or live stats. The Sooners will then travel to Columbia, S.C. to face the Gamecocks at the Carolina Tennis Center. Fans can follow the match through live stream or live stats.

LAST TIME OUT

OU swept Florida at the Headington Family Tennis Center to mark the third SEC win for the Sooners. After winning the 12th doubles point of the season, OU went into singles with an advantage. Wins on the even courts claimed the Sooner victory and sophomore Kholo Montsi took his fifth win of the season in straight sets to clinch the win over the then-No. 24 Gators.

In the second match of the week, Oklahoma traveled to Starkville, Miss. to face then-No. 22 Mississippi State. Competition was tight in the double portion of the match where each match saw tied scores near the end of play. On court one, junior Bruno Nhavene and freshman Oscar Lacides tied their match at 4-4 before coming up short against the No. 4 doubles pair in the nation. Montsi and Alvarez also tied their match at 4-all, but ultimately fell 6-4 at the No. 2 spot. Mississippi State claimed a singles win to take a two-point advantage before Alvarez took his eighth singles win of the season in straight sets. Nhavene narrowly dropped his match at the six line but was followed by a ranked win from senior Jordan Hasson to cut the Bulldogs' lead to one point. Mississippi State clinched the win at the three singles spot.

IN THE RANKINGS

The Sooners checked in at No. 18 in the most recent ITA team rankings. Oklahoma has been ranked inside the top 20 for six weeks, with two weeks inside the top 10.

OU is represented in doubles by Nahvene and Lacides who sit at the No. 39 spot. The duo have tallied two conference wins and four total wins on the season.

Lacides is once again included in the ITA singles rankings and has appeared in every singles ranking in 2025. He is currently notched as the No. 76 player in the nation and plays at the primary spot for the Sooners.

PLAYER TO WATCH

Alvarez claimed two more wins in singles and one win in doubles to lead the Sooners in their matches against Florida and Mississippi State. His doubles win with Montsi contributed to the Sooners earning their 12th doubles point of the season before the team went on to sweep Florida.

In singles, Alvarez has claimed three conference wins, each being dominant straight-set victories. Against Florida, the junior's win stretched the lead for OU as he was the first off the court in singles play. At Mississippi State, Alvarez's win gave the Sooners a boost in the match and gave the team their first point of the competition.

Alvarez has been ranked in ITA's singles rankings for eight weeks of the 2025 season.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS

Oklahoma will take on No. 39 Auburn on Thursday in their sixth conference match of the season. The matchup marks the first meeting between the two programs. The Tigers are 10-6 on the season and 3-4 in SEC play. Auburn hosts Oklahoma after taking two defeats on the road to Texas A&M and Texas.

The Tigers are represented in the ITA rankings by No. 13 doubles pair Billy Blaydes and William Nolan.

In the seventh conference match of the season and fourth road match, the Sooners face No. 25 South Carolina. The competition is only the second time the Sooners and Gamecocks will meet. The Gamecocks are 10-4 on the season and will look to extend their two-match win streak against the Sooners. The wins over Vanderbilt and Ole Miss improved South Carolina's SEC record to 4-1.

In doubles, Lucas Andrade da Silva and Connor Thomson sit in the No. 26 spot.

The Gamecocks have three players ranked in singles. Leading the pack is No. 57 Connor Thomson, followed by No. 79 Sean Daryabeigi and No. 113 Jelani Sarr.

UP NEXT

Following the road competitions, the Sooners return to Norman to host the No. 30 Georgia Bulldogs in their second Friday Night Lights match of the season. First serve is slated for Friday, March 21, at 6 p.m. CT.

FOLLOW THE SOONERS

For updates, follow @OU_MTennis on Instagram and X or like Oklahoma Men's Tennis on Facebook.