Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowgirls Set for Pair of Home Matches
March 29, 2007 | Cowgirl Tennis
The action will start when the Cowgirls face Division II power Abilene Christian (7-2) at 2 p.m. OSU will then return to Big 12 play when they host Kansas State (2-9, 0-2) Sunday at 10 a.m. The Wildcats have never won in Stillwater.
The Cowgirls are currently 10-5 this season and 3-2 in the Big 12. All of OSU's losses have come against teams ranked in the top 35. The Cowgirls are currently in fifth place in the Big 12.
They are lead in wins by freshman Nataliya Shatkovskaya and senior Marta Tsivka with 10 each. The Cowgirl lineup features balance as the other four starters, Iryna Tkacheno, Yawna Allen, Lauren Simmons and Jennifer Poskitt, each have eight or nine wins. In doubles play, Allen and Shatkovskay form OSU's top doubles team with a 9-4 record.
Scouting Abilene Christian (7-2)
The Wildcats of Abilene Christian are coached by Hutton Jones and play out of the Lonestar Conference. ACU is currently ranked No. 6 in the Division II rankings and they have two individuals ranked, Irene Squillaci at No. 17 and Aina Rafolomanatsiatoskia at No. 20. The two also pair to form the 11th-ranked doubles team on the D2 level.
Scouting Kansas State (2-9, 0-2)
The Kansas State Wildcats are 2-9 this season and 0-2 in the Big 12. They are coached by Steve Bietau who has lead the program for 23 seasons. OSU leads the all-time series 29-4, including three straight. The Wildcats have never won in Stillwater. Their two wins have come against Drake and Utah. KSU will play Oklahoma on Saturday.
Last Time Out
After losing the doubles point, quickly at No. 3 singles and the first sets in three of the other five matches it looked like No. 28 Wichita was off to an easy win at home against OSU. The Cowgirls showed determination and forced a third set in the rest of the singles matches. OSU got wins from Yawna Allen, Lauren Simmons and Marta Tsivka before falling, 4-3.
On the Charts
Simmons is three wins shy of jumping into the top 20 in career wins at OSU ... Tsivka has a career-winning percentage of .795, which is the third best in the history of the program.
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 and Tsivka lead the way with 10 wins while Tkachenko, Allen and Simmons closely follow with nine. Poskitt currently has eight wins this spring.
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 251-166 (.602), 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.
