Oklahoma State University Athletics
No. 19 Cowgirls Blank Sooners
March 29, 2001 | Cowgirl Tennis
March 29, 2001
Oklahoma State's 19th-ranked women's tennis team (13-3 overall, 3-1 Big 12) swept the singles and doubles matches from the Sooners( 4-7 overall, 0-5 Big 12) to record its third straight 7-0 victory on Thursday at the DeBois Tennis Center in Stillwater.
With the win, head coach Julius Lubicz-Majewski became the all-time winningest coach, surpassing Ike Groce with 173 victories for the Cowgirls.
"I am very proud of the girls," Lubicz-Majewski said. "OU came out and played really well, but our girls kept their composure and got the victory."
Junior Dominika Olszewska and sophomore Kate Vasylyeva recorded the first victory for the Cowgirls by overpowering Tiffany Streeter and Joni Helleland, 8-1, at the No. 3 spot, while the 21st-ranked duo of senior Maria Galoustova-Phillips and junior Ashleigh Dolman notched the first team point by blowing by Viviana Mracnova and Melissa Menneta, 8-2.
Sophomore Linda Faltynkova and freshman Katarzyna Kolodynska continued their unbeaten streak by defeating Stephanie Sajbert and Annette Bryntesson, 8-3, at the No. 3 spot, improving their record to 16-0.
OSU then cruised to victory, winning five-of-six singles matches in straight sets. Faltynkova upped her record to 13-2 at the No. 3 position with a victory over Menneta, 6-2, 6-2, while Vasylyeva improved her record to 10-3 at the No. 5 position by defeating Streeter, 6-4, 6-1.
Olszewska, Kolodynska and Dolman all recorded victories at the Nos. 2, 4 and 6 positions, respectively.
"I knew this match (No. 1 singles) would be tough," Lubicz-Majewski said. "Maria (Phillips) is fighting for pride and rankings. Mracnova always plays a tough match and is a very competitive player. I knew if Maria wanted to win this match then she needed to hit all her shots."
The No. 1 singles match brought both excitement and drama to the courts. The 88th-ranked Phillips dropped the first set to Mracnova, 5-7, but stormed back to take the second set, 7-5. A coin toss was needed to determine whether the two were going to play a tie-breaker or a third set to determine the match. OSU won the decision forcing a third set. Phillips controlled the third set from the beginning. After winning the first point, Phillips never looked back and defeated Mracnova, 5-7, 7-5, 6-3, improving her record to 11-4.
"After last year's loss, I wanted to come out and beat Viviana (Mracnova)," Galoustova-Phillips said. "With this being my senior year, I really wanted to come out and play hard. I knew this was an important match if I wanted to move up in the rankings."
The Cowgirls will return to action on Saturday when Texas Tech (5-9, 1-2 Big 12) comes to town. The match is slated to start at 11:30 at the DeBois Tennis Center.
Match Results
Singles
1) Phillips (OSU) d. Mracnova (OU) 5-7, 7-5, 6-3
2) Olszewska (OSU) d. Bryntesson (OU) 7-5, 6-2
3) Faltynkova (OSU) d. Menneta (OU) 6-2, 6-2
4) Kolodynska (OSU) d. Sajbert (OU) 6-1, 6-4
5) Vasylyeva (OSU) d. Streeter (OU) 6-4, 6-1
6) Dolman (OSU) d. Helleland (OU) 6-4, 6-1
Doubles
1) #21 Dolman/Phillips (OSU) d. Mracnova/Mendieta (OU) 8-2
2) Faltynkova/Kolodynska (OSU) d. Sajbert/Bryntesson (OU) 8-3
3) Olszewska/Vasylyeva (OSU) d. Streeter/Helleland (OU) 8-1
