Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowgirls Ready for Big Road Test
March 28, 2007 | Cowgirl Tennis
Oklahoma State's lady netters, ranked No. 52, will face a big road challenge when they travel to Wichita, Kan., Wednesday to take on No. 28 Wichita State (15-1) at 2 p.m.
The Shockers are the highest ranked team, at the date of the match, the Cowgirls have faced so far this season. They are also one of the most surprising teams in the country. The Shockers, who were unranked earlier this season, have been one of the hottest squads in the country and have started 15-1. They were ranked as high as No. 16 at one point this season.
While WSU has been one of the hottest teams this season, the Cowgirls own the all-time series, 17-1. OSU's lone loss in the series came in 1997-98.
The Cowgirls are lead in wins by freshman Nataliya Shatkovskaya with 10. Not far behind are junior Iryna Tkachenko, who has won her last two, and senior Marta Tsivka with nine wins each. The other three starters, Yawna Allen, Lauren Simmons and Jennifer Poskitt, have eight wins. In doubles play, Allen and Shatkovskaya continue to pace the Cowgirls. The tandem have a 9-3 mark this spring and are 12-5 overall.
Scouting #28 Wichita State (15-1)
The Shockers play out of the Missouri Valley Conference and are are coached by Oklahoma native Chris Young. Young, in his third season at WSU, came from Oklahoma Christian University in Oklahoma City.
WSU lone loss came against unranked Ohio State. They are 2-0 against Big 12 foes having defeated Nebraska and Kansas State. They have also notched a win against Tulsa.
The Shockers boast an impressive singles lineup that features five players with double-digit win totals. In fact, the lowest winning percentage among the starting six is Florentina Hanish, who has a .714 mark. Madina Rakhim leads the Shockers with a 15-1 mark at No. 1 singles. She has won 14 straight and her lone loss came against No. 50 Imke Reimers of Nebraska. In doubles, Rakhim and Hanish form WSU's top tandem and have a 13-2 record.
Last Time Out
The Cowgirls bounced back from a tough loss at Tulsa to down East Central, 7-0, in Stillwater. Nataliya Shatkovskaya picked up her team-leading 10th dual win of the season. Seniors Lauren Simmons and Jennifer Poskitt both won their matches, 6-0, 6-0. Iryna Tkachenko, Yawna Allen and Marta Tsivka also recorded singles wins. OSU also won all three singles matches.
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 and Shatkovskaya started every dual at No. 1, 2 and 3 singles, respectively. They only changes have come at the the bottom of the lineup where Simmons, Tsivka and Poskitt have rotated somewhat this season. Poskitt and Simmons 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 between eight or ten wins each and they all have a winning record. Shatkovskaya leads the way with 10 wins while Tkachenko and Tsivka closely follow with nine. Yawna Allen, Lauren Simmons and Jennifer Poskitt each have eight.
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 251-165 (.603), with all of his school-record 251 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.
