Oklahoma State University Athletics
Undefeated Cowgirls Set for Big 12 Home Opener
March 01, 2007 | Cowgirl Tennis
Oklahoma State's unbeaten (5-0, 1-0) and 40th-ranked women's tennis squad will face Big 12 foe Texas Tech (6-4, 0-1) this Sunday in the Cowgirls' 2007 Big 12 home opener at the DeBois Tennis Center at 11 a.m.
“The girls are working very hard for this match,” head coach Julius Lubicz-Majewski said. “Every match in the Big 12 is tough. Our girls are really excited about this match and have worked hard since Texas Tech beat us last season in a very important match.”
The Lady Raiders defeated the Cowgirls, 4-3, in the final match of the 2006 regular season in Lubbock. The loss kept OSU from a top-four finish in the Big12.
A win on Sunday would give OSU its best start, 6-0, under Lubicz-Majewski. The best start in school history came in 1981 when the Cowgirls, under Ike Groce, started the season 18-0. Prior to the 2007, there have been eight seasons OSU has started the season 5-0 or better. In each of those seasons, the Cowgirls have gone on to win the conference title (1981, '82, '85, '86, '87, '88, '89, '03). At 5-0 OSU remains the only unbeaten team in the Big 12.
OSU leads the all-time series against Texas Tech, 9-4. The Lady Raiders have not won in Stillwater since 1997, the inaugural season of the Big 12.
O-State is led in singles by junior Iryna Tkachenko. The Kiev, Ukraine native, is currently 5-0 this spring and has not lost a set. Tkachenko, who has never lost a singles match against TTU, has only lost more than three games in one set this season. Freshman Nataliya Shatkovskaya is also unbeaten this season, 4-0, at No. 3 singles.
In doubles play, Shatkovskaya teams with junior Yawna Allen to form OSU's top doubles team. The pair is 5-0 this season splitting time between No. 1 and No. 2 doubles. Seniors Jennifer Poskitt and Marta Tsivka have recorded a 4-1 mark at No. 3 doubles and are coming off an 8-0 win against Oral Roberts.
Last Time Out
In their last match the Cowgirls downed Oral Roberts, 4-0, at the DeBois Tennis Center in Stillwater on Wednesday. OSU swept the doubles point highlighted by Poskitt and Tsivka's , 8-0, win at No. 3 doubles. OSU also got singles win from Tkachenko, Shatkovksaya and Simmons to complete the shutout in the Cowgirls home opener.
Scouting the Lady Raiders
The Lady Raiders are currently 6-4 this season and 0-1 in the Big 12 conference and are coming off a, 7-0, win against Air Force. All their loses have come against ranked foes and they were beaten, 6-1, by No. 43 Colorado in their only conference match thus far.
TTU is coached by Stillwater native and OSU Alumni Cari Groce. Groce is the daughter of legendary Cowgirl tennis coach Ike Groce and was an assistant coach for the Cowgirls from 1987-89. She is in her fourth season at Texas Tech.
In singles play, Samantha van der Drift has started all the Lady Raiders matches at No. 1 singles and has compiled a 7-2 mark. Janet Durham leads TTU in singles wins with eight, all coming at No. 3 singles. Van der Swift and Durham also team to form TTU's top doubles team. The duo has an impressive 5-1 record at No. 1 doubles.
Before facing the Cowgirls, the Lady Raiders will take on Oklahoma Saturday in Norman.
Strength from the Top
Head coach Julius Lubicz-Majewski continues to get outstanding results from the top three in his singles lineup. With two wins against Oral Roberts , OSU is now 12-1 at the top of the lineup. Tkachenko, Allen and Shatkovskaya have started every dual at No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 singles, respectively, and have only one loss among them.
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 246-161 (.604), with all of his school-record 246 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.
