Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowgirl Tennis Set for 2007 Big 12 Championship
April 25, 2007 | Cowgirl Tennis
Oklahoma State's women's tennis squad is set for the 2007 Big 12 Championships that will be held at the Plaza Tennis Center in Kansas City Thursday through Friday. The Cowgirls last won the conference tournament in 2003.
By way of their 7-4 conference mark, the Cowgirls earned the fifth seed in the tournament. OSU will face 12th-seeded Iowa State (5-12, 0-11) Thursday at 10 a.m. The winner will advance to the quarterfinals to face fifth-seeded and 35th-ranked Colorado (16-6, 9-2) Friday at noon. Live stats for all of this weekends' action can be accessed through the live stats tab at www.okstate.com or through the Kansas web site, www.kuathletics.com.
OSU leads the all-time series with ISU, 29-0, including a, 6-1, win in Ames earlier this season. The current OSU roster has combined to drop only two singles matches in its career to the Cyclones.
While the Cowgirls were off this past week, it was an eventful one as Lauren Simmons, Jennifer Poskitt and Yawna Allen were all named to the Academic All-Big 12 first team. Simmons and Poskitt both made the team for the third-consecutive season. Simmons also was named OSU's Female Student-Athlete of the Year.
O-State is led in singles play by Nataliya Shatkovskaya who leads the team in dual wins (16), overall wins (21) and winning percentage (.778). Simmons is second on the team with 15 wins, trailed closely by Marta Tsivka with 14. Simmons and Poskitt both won their first ever individual Big 12 Championships this season at No. 4 and 6 singles, respectively.
Last Time Out
The Cowgirls were defeated by No. 20 Texas A&M, 5-2, in College Station in their regular season finale. OSU picked up wins from Nataliya Shatkovskaya and Lauren Simmons, who upset No. 87 Eliza Potgieter in straight sets.
Big 12 Player of the Week
Lauren Simmons became the first Cowgirl of the 2007 season to be named Big 12 Player of the Week. Simmons, who won the award for the second time in her career, had an impressive week as she went 3-0 with two come-from-behind victories. OSU also became the first school of the season to sweep the weekly awards as Cowboy Oleksandr Nedovyesov won it on the men's side.
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 11 and 16 wins each and they all have a winning record. Shatkovskaya leads the squad with 16 dual wins while Simmons and Tsivka follow closely with 15 and 14 wins, respectively.
On the Charts
With 72 career wins, Lauren Simmons is currently tied for 19th in career wins at OSU ... Tsivka has a career-winning percentage of .783 (36-10), which is the third best in the history of the program and the best since the inception of the Big 12.
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 256-168 (.604), with all of his school-record 256 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.
By way of their 7-4 conference mark, the Cowgirls earned the fifth seed in the tournament. OSU will face 12th-seeded Iowa State (5-12, 0-11) Thursday at 10 a.m. The winner will advance to the quarterfinals to face fifth-seeded and 35th-ranked Colorado (16-6, 9-2) Friday at noon. Live stats for all of this weekends' action can be accessed through the live stats tab at www.okstate.com or through the Kansas web site, www.kuathletics.com.
OSU leads the all-time series with ISU, 29-0, including a, 6-1, win in Ames earlier this season. The current OSU roster has combined to drop only two singles matches in its career to the Cyclones.
While the Cowgirls were off this past week, it was an eventful one as Lauren Simmons, Jennifer Poskitt and Yawna Allen were all named to the Academic All-Big 12 first team. Simmons and Poskitt both made the team for the third-consecutive season. Simmons also was named OSU's Female Student-Athlete of the Year.
O-State is led in singles play by Nataliya Shatkovskaya who leads the team in dual wins (16), overall wins (21) and winning percentage (.778). Simmons is second on the team with 15 wins, trailed closely by Marta Tsivka with 14. Simmons and Poskitt both won their first ever individual Big 12 Championships this season at No. 4 and 6 singles, respectively.
Last Time Out
The Cowgirls were defeated by No. 20 Texas A&M, 5-2, in College Station in their regular season finale. OSU picked up wins from Nataliya Shatkovskaya and Lauren Simmons, who upset No. 87 Eliza Potgieter in straight sets.
Big 12 Player of the Week
Lauren Simmons became the first Cowgirl of the 2007 season to be named Big 12 Player of the Week. Simmons, who won the award for the second time in her career, had an impressive week as she went 3-0 with two come-from-behind victories. OSU also became the first school of the season to sweep the weekly awards as Cowboy Oleksandr Nedovyesov won it on the men's side.
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 11 and 16 wins each and they all have a winning record. Shatkovskaya leads the squad with 16 dual wins while Simmons and Tsivka follow closely with 15 and 14 wins, respectively.
On the Charts
With 72 career wins, Lauren Simmons is currently tied for 19th in career wins at OSU ... Tsivka has a career-winning percentage of .783 (36-10), which is the third best in the history of the program and the best since the inception of the Big 12.
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 256-168 (.604), with all of his school-record 256 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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