Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowgirls Set to Open Big 12 Play Against Kansas
February 22, 2007 | Cowgirl Tennis
Oklahoma State's 42nd-ranked women's team team will look to stay unbeaten on the year when they face Kansas (2-7, 0-1) in the Cowgirls' 2007 Big 12 opener Saturday at 11 a.m. at Oak Tree Country Club in Edmond, Okla.
“Unfortunately for us, because of the potential rain we are going to play the match at Oak Tree in Edmond,” head coach Julius Lubicz-Majewski. “I think the team is anxious and ready to play a Big 12 match. We are very excited and we know it will be a tough match.”
The Cowgirls are 3-0 this season with two of its wins coming against ranked opponents. OSU is led by junior Iryna Tkachenko who has won all three of her matches at No. 1 singles in straight sets. In doubles, junior Yawna Allen and freshman Nataliya Shatkovskaya have played all their matches at the No. 1 spot and have played solid with a 3-0 record.
OSU will be trying to win its first conference opener since defeating Colorado, 5-2, during its 2003 Big 12 Championships season. The Cowgirls are 20-15 all-time against Kansas.
The match was scheduled to be played in Stillwater but due to potential rain the dual has been moved to Oak Tree Country Club in Edmond, Okla.
Scouting Kansas
The Jayhawks are 2-7 this season and 0-1 in the conference and have recorded wins against Drake, 4-1, and Utah, 4-3. KU is coached by Amy Hall-Holt who is in her fourth season leading the program.
Junior Elizaveta Avdeeva, an All-Big 12 performer last season, plays the No. 1 position for the Jayhawks and has a 3-6 mark. Sophomore Edina Horvath leads KU with six wins in singles play. Avdeeva and Horvath team to form KU's top doubles tandem an have an impressive 7-2 record at the top spot.
The Jayhawks are coming off a strong weekend in which they narrowly lost to No. 35 BYU, 4-3, and defeated Utah, 4-3.
Cowgirl Returners
The Cowgirl lineup features a wealth of experience as head coach Julius Lubicz-Majewski's squad features seven returning letter winners. Junior Iryna Tkachenko, the Cowgirl's No. 1 player a year ago, will look to regain the form that made her an All-Big 12 selection her freshman season.
Senior Lauren Simmons, who split time between No. 2 and No. 3 singles last season, also returns to the Cowgirls. Simmons was an Academic All-American last season, as well as a Big 12 Player of the Week selection.
The Cowgirls also return another former Big 12 Player of the Week in Yawna Allen. The junior spent most of the 2006 spring season at the No. 4 spot. Marta Tsivka, the Big 12 Champion at No. 5 singles last season, also returns for her senior season.
Also returning are senior Jennifer Poskitt, junior Jessica Collins and sophomore Zuzanna Osinska. The trio all split time at No. 6 singles last season, with Poskitt leading the way with a 7-4 record.
Newcomers
The only scholarship newcomer this season is freshman Natalia Shatkovskaya. The talented newcomer hails from Minsk, Belarus. The Cowgirls only had one scholarship available after losing only Zana Masnic from last season's squad. Masnic exhausted her eligibility in the spring of 2006 and left the program with over 50 career singles victories and 40 doubles wins.
Head Coach Julius Lubicz-Majewski
Head coach Julius Lubicz-Majewski is entering his 18th season leading the Cowgirl tennis program. His 18-year tenure is the longest in the program's history and is currently third among active coaches at Oklahoma State, trailing only men's tennis coach James Wadley and men's track and field coach Dick Weis. Lubicz-Majewski has a career record of 244-161 (.602), with all of his school-record 244 wins coming at OSU. He has also led the Cowgirls to four conference titles.
New Assistance
Lubicz-Majewski will have a new assistant coach this season in former Cowboy tennis star Mark Van Elden. Van Elden replaces Dominika Olszewska, who assisted Lubicz-Majewski for three seasons. The Australia natives primary focus will be on recruiting.
Van Elden played at Oklahoma State from 2003-05 under Cowboy head coach James Wadley and was an All-Big 12 selection and NCAA invitee in each of his three seasons in Stillwater.
Van Elden won 59 matches during his Cowboy career and was ranked as high as 13th in the ITA rankings. The Cowboys won 55 matches during his stay in Stillwater and hosted an NCAA Regional in 2005.
Successful in the Classroom
Over the summer, the Cowgirl tennis program was recognized by the ITA for its hard work in the classroom during the 2005-06 school year. The team was named an Academic All-American team for the fourth straight season and Zana Masnic, Lauren Simmons and Zuzanna Osinska were each named Academic All-Americans.
ITA Women's Hall of Fame
Former Cowgirl star Lori McNeil was inducted into the ITA Women's Hall of Fame Sept. 15 in Williamsburg, Va. McNeil was an All-American in 1982 and was a three-time conference champion while a part of the Cowgirl program. McNeil went on to a successful 19-year pro career that featured 10 singles championships and 32 doubles titles. She also made a memorable run to the semifinals of Wimbledon in 1994 and was an assistant coach for the U.S. Olympic team in 2004.
