Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowgirl Tennis Set to Begin Big 12 Tournament Play
April 22, 2009 | Cowgirl Tennis
STILLWATER, Okla. -- The Oklahoma State women's tennis team will begin its Big 12 Championship play Thursday against Iowa State at the Headington Family Tennis Center in Norman, Okla.
The match is set to begin at 1:30 p.m. The winner will advance to the second round to face No. 2 seed Texas A&M. The Aggies, along with the other four top finishers in the league regular season standings, received a first-round bye.
About the Cowgirls
Oklahoma State enters the Big 12 tournament with a 12-11 record, including a 5-6 mark in Big 12 play. OSU's performance in regular season Big 12 play earned it the No. 6 seed in the tournament.
Freshman Iryna Khatsko boasts the best record for the Cowgirls. She holds a 17-4 mark in her singles matches and a 9-2 record in Big 12 matches. Khatsko joins another freshman, Alisa Buslaieva, at No. 2 doubles. The Cowgirl duo is 10-9 this spring with a 6-5 mark in Big 12 matches.
Sophomore JoAnne Karaitiana plays at No. 1 singles. She has a 9-11 record this spring at the top position for the Cowgirls. She joins 2007 All-Big 12 performer Nataliya Shatkovskaya at No. 1 doubles.
Scouting the Cyclones
Iowa State is 10-12 with a 1-10 mark in Big 12 play. The Cyclones are the No. 11 seed and claimed their only conference win over 12th-seeded Kansas State. Iowa State has lost 10 of its last 13 matches.
The Cowgirls downed ISU 5-2 on April 4. OSU won four singles matches and the doubles point en route to the win.
Sophomore Erin Karonis leads the Cyclones at No. 1 singles with a 15-5 record, including a 7-4 mark in Big 12 play. She was named Big 12 Player of the Week in the final week of the regular season.
Karonis will square off with Oklahoma State's Karaitiana. In the match April 4, Karonis picked up a 6-4, 6-1 win over the Cowgirl sophomore.
Karonis joins Kara Hickey at No. 1 doubles. They will square off with Karaitiana and Shatkovskaya. Earlier this year, the Cowgirl duo handed Karonis and Hickey an 8-4 defeat.
Regular Season: OSU 5, ISU 2
DOUBLES
No. 1 -- JoAnne Karaitiana/ Nataliya Shatkovskaya (OSU) def. Erin Karonis/ Kara Hickey 8-4
No. 2 -- Alisa Buslaieva/ Iryna Khatsko (OSU) def. Maria Fernanda Macedo/ Marie-Christine Chartier 8-4
No. 3 -- Liza Wischer/ Tessa Lang (ISU) def. Galina Semenova/ Maryna Tkachenko 8-3
SINGLES
No. 1 -- Erin Karonis (ISU) def. JoAnne Karaitiana 6-4, 6-1
No. 2 -- Nataliya Shatkovskaya (OSU) def. Maria Fernanda Macedo 6-4, 4-6, 6-2
No. 3 -- Iryna Khatsko (OSU) def. Tessa Lang 6-2, 6-4
No. 4 -- Maryna Tkachenko (OSU) def. Marie-Christine Chartier 6-2, 6-3
No. 5 -- Liza Wischer (ISU) def. Alisa Buslaieva 6-2, 6-4
No. 6 -- Galina Semenova (OSU) def. Kara Hickey 7-6 (4), 6-3
Lineup for Big 12 Tournament
DOUBLES
No. 1 -- JoAnne Karaitiana/Nataliya Shatkovskaya
No. 2 -- Iryna Khatsko/Alisa Buslaieva
No. 3 -- Sasha Belova/Maryna Tkachenko
SINGLES
No. 1 -- JoAnne Karaitiana, So.
No. 2 -- Nataliya Shatkovskaya, Jr.
No. 3 -- Iryna Khatsko, Fr.
No. 4 -- Maryna Tkachenko, Sr.
No. 5 -- Sasha Belova, So.
No. 6 -- Alisa Buslaieva, Fr.
Cowgirls at the Big 12 Championships
Oklahoma State captured its lone Big 12 tournament title in 2003 as the No. 4 seed.
The Cowgirls advanced to the championship match one other time in 2001. As the No. 2 seed, OSU fell to No. 1 seed 4-3. The No. 2 seed in 2001 is the highest seeding for the Cowgirls in tournament history.
OSU has advanced to the tournament semifinals five times. In the 12-year history of the tournament, the Cowgirls have been eliminated in the first round only four times.
Welcome Back Nataliya
OSU will welcome junior Nataliya Shatkovskaya back to the lineup Thursday. She missed Sunday's match against Baylor after injuring her left ankle against Texas Tech on Friday.
Her left leg was the same one that left her sidelined for all of the 2008 spring after an All-Big 12 freshman season.
Last Time Out
The Cowgirls dropped a 7-0 decision to fifth-ranked Baylor in their final regular season match Sunday. Before that, OSU picked up a 4-3 win over Texas Tech on Friday.
