Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowgirls Hit the Road for Spring Break
March 20, 2007 | Cowgirl Tennis
Oklahoma State's 48th-ranked women's tennis squad will spend its spring break on the road when the Cowgirls (8-2) travel to Utah to take on BYU and Utah this week.
The Cowgirls will first face No. 33 BYU (10-5) Wednesday at 1 p.m. (CST) at the BYU Tennis Complex in Provo. OSU will then take on Utah (8-5) Thursday at the Eccles Tennis Complex in Salt Lake City at 11 a.m. (CST).
A win this week would give head coach Julius Lubicz-Majewski his 250th-career win. All of his wins have come at OSU and are a school record.
The Cowgirls continue to maintain a balanced singles lineup as all six starters have either six or seven wins this spring. Iryna Tkachenko, Nataliya Shatkovskaya and Marta Tsivka pace the team with seven. Not far behind are Yawna Allen, Lauren Simmons and Jennifer Poskitt with six wins each.
In doubles play, Allen and Skatkovskaya continue to lead the Cowgirls with a team leading seven wins. O-State's other two tandem have five wins each.
Scouting #33 BYU (10-5)
The BYU Cougars are coached by Craig Manning who is in his eighth season at the helm of the program. The Cougars have two-straight wins after downing Oklahoma and Utah. They are one of the hotter teams in the country as they have won eight of their last nine. Out of their five losses, all have come against ranked foes and four of those have come against opponents ranked in the top 25. OSU leads the all-time series 11-8 but BYU has won the last three. The Cowgirls nearly upset BYU last season in Stillwater.
In singles play, Anastasia Sourkova and Chie Hayashaka pace the squad with 10 wins each. Sourkova has won eight of her last nine matches. In doubles, Sourkova teams with Jenny Miccoli at the No. 1 position and the pair are currently ranked No. 47 after winning nine straight.
Scouting Utah (8-5)
The Utah Utes are 8-5 and have not beat a ranked team this season. They are currently 0-2 against Big 12 foes, having lost at Kansas and Kansas State. The Utes are coached by Megan Dorny who is in her fifth season leading her alma mater.
In singles action, Utah is lead by Elizabeth Ferris who is 12-0 this season at the No. 1 position and has been nationally ranked this season.
Last Time Out
The Cowgirls picked up their third conference win after downing the Missouri Tigers, 7-0, in Stillwater. After sweeping the doubles point, OSU got wins from Tkachenko, Allen, Shatkovskaya, Simmons, Tsivka and Poskitt to move the Cowgirls to 8-2 this season.
Balanced Lineup
Part of the reason for OSU's fast start in 2007 is due to the consistency and balance Lubicz-Majewski has gotten from his single's lineup. Tkachenko, Allen, Shatkovskaya and Simmons have started every dual at No. 1, 2, 3 and 4 singles, respectively. They only changes have come at the the bottom of the lineup where Tsivka and Poskitt have both spent time between the No. 5 and 6 spots. Poskitt has started every dual, where Jessica Collins replaced Tsivka in one match.
Not only has Lubicz-Majewski consistently used the same singles lineup, he has also gotten balanced results. All of the six starters have either six or seven wins each and they all have a winning record. Tkachenko, Shatkovskaya and Tsivka each have seven wins, while Allen, Simmons and Poskitt all have six wins apiece.
More on the streak
As stated already, OSU's 6-0 start this season is the best under Lubicz-Majewski and also the most wins to open a season since the 1988-89 season. Overall , OSU best start came in 1980 when the Cowgirls started the 1980-81 season 18-0 under Ike Groce. They would finish the season 29-2 to win the program's first Big 8 crown. Overall OSU has started the season with at least five wins eight times and each season they have gone on to win the conference title.
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 249-163 (.604), with all of his school-record 249 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.
The Cowgirls will first face No. 33 BYU (10-5) Wednesday at 1 p.m. (CST) at the BYU Tennis Complex in Provo. OSU will then take on Utah (8-5) Thursday at the Eccles Tennis Complex in Salt Lake City at 11 a.m. (CST).
A win this week would give head coach Julius Lubicz-Majewski his 250th-career win. All of his wins have come at OSU and are a school record.
The Cowgirls continue to maintain a balanced singles lineup as all six starters have either six or seven wins this spring. Iryna Tkachenko, Nataliya Shatkovskaya and Marta Tsivka pace the team with seven. Not far behind are Yawna Allen, Lauren Simmons and Jennifer Poskitt with six wins each.
In doubles play, Allen and Skatkovskaya continue to lead the Cowgirls with a team leading seven wins. O-State's other two tandem have five wins each.
Scouting #33 BYU (10-5)
The BYU Cougars are coached by Craig Manning who is in his eighth season at the helm of the program. The Cougars have two-straight wins after downing Oklahoma and Utah. They are one of the hotter teams in the country as they have won eight of their last nine. Out of their five losses, all have come against ranked foes and four of those have come against opponents ranked in the top 25. OSU leads the all-time series 11-8 but BYU has won the last three. The Cowgirls nearly upset BYU last season in Stillwater.
In singles play, Anastasia Sourkova and Chie Hayashaka pace the squad with 10 wins each. Sourkova has won eight of her last nine matches. In doubles, Sourkova teams with Jenny Miccoli at the No. 1 position and the pair are currently ranked No. 47 after winning nine straight.
Scouting Utah (8-5)
The Utah Utes are 8-5 and have not beat a ranked team this season. They are currently 0-2 against Big 12 foes, having lost at Kansas and Kansas State. The Utes are coached by Megan Dorny who is in her fifth season leading her alma mater.
In singles action, Utah is lead by Elizabeth Ferris who is 12-0 this season at the No. 1 position and has been nationally ranked this season.
Last Time Out
The Cowgirls picked up their third conference win after downing the Missouri Tigers, 7-0, in Stillwater. After sweeping the doubles point, OSU got wins from Tkachenko, Allen, Shatkovskaya, Simmons, Tsivka and Poskitt to move the Cowgirls to 8-2 this season.
Balanced Lineup
Part of the reason for OSU's fast start in 2007 is due to the consistency and balance Lubicz-Majewski has gotten from his single's lineup. Tkachenko, Allen, Shatkovskaya and Simmons have started every dual at No. 1, 2, 3 and 4 singles, respectively. They only changes have come at the the bottom of the lineup where Tsivka and Poskitt have both spent time between the No. 5 and 6 spots. Poskitt has started every dual, where Jessica Collins replaced Tsivka in one match.
Not only has Lubicz-Majewski consistently used the same singles lineup, he has also gotten balanced results. All of the six starters have either six or seven wins each and they all have a winning record. Tkachenko, Shatkovskaya and Tsivka each have seven wins, while Allen, Simmons and Poskitt all have six wins apiece.
More on the streak
As stated already, OSU's 6-0 start this season is the best under Lubicz-Majewski and also the most wins to open a season since the 1988-89 season. Overall , OSU best start came in 1980 when the Cowgirls started the 1980-81 season 18-0 under Ike Groce. They would finish the season 29-2 to win the program's first Big 8 crown. Overall OSU has started the season with at least five wins eight times and each season they have gone on to win the conference title.
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 249-163 (.604), with all of his school-record 249 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.
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