Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowgirls Look to Stay Unbeaten in 2007
February 27, 2007 | Cowgirl Tennis
Cowgirls Look to Stay Unbeaten in 2007
Oklahoma State's 40th-ranked women's tennis team will look to remain perfect in 2007 (4-0, 1-0) when they host instate-rival Oral Roberts (0-5) at the DeBois Tennis Center in Stillwater, Okla., on Wednesday at 2 p.m.
It will be the first match in Stillwater for the Cowgirls this season. A win against the Golden Eagles would tie for OSU's best start (5-0) since the 2003 Big 12 Championship season. 5-0 is also the best start for the Cowgirls in the Lubicz-Majewski era.
The match will also mark the first time the two programs have met since 2001 when OSU downed Oral Roberts, 4-0, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. It will be the first regular season meeting between the two programs since the 1983-84 season. OSU leads the all-time series, 7-3.
OSU has notched two of its wins against ranked foes, then-ranked No. 64 Rice and No. 75 Indiana State, in 2007. The Cowgirls are coming off a , 6-1, win against Kansas in their Big 12 opener last weekend. OSU is also the last remaining unbeaten team in the Big 12.
O-State continues to be led in singles play by Iryna Tkachenko. The junior is 4-0 this season and has yet to lose a set at No. 1 singles. Freshman Nataliya Shatkovskaya is also unbeaten this season, 3-0, at No. 3 singles. In doubles, Shatkovskaya teams with junior Yawna Allen to form OSU's only undefeated team as the pair sport a 3-0 record splitting time between the No. 1 and No. 2 positions
Scouting the Golden Eagles
Oral Roberts is coached by former Cowboy assistant coach Chris Milliron. The Golden Eagles have struggled to an 0-5 mark in the early portion of its schedule. ORU has only scored two points this season and have been shut out three time.
In singles play, Taylor Pippen is the only player to notch a win this spring as she is 1-2 at the three spot. ORU has had more success in doubles where the tandem of Pippen and Emily Arkell is 3-1 at No. 1 doubles.
Strength from the Top
Lubicz-Majewski has gotten great play from the top of his lineup through the first four duals of the season. Tkachenko, Allen and Shatkovskaya, playing No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 respectively, have combined for a 10-1 record so far this season.
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 245-161 (.603), with all of his school-record 245 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.
