Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowgirl Tennis Set to Begin Spring Season in Hawaii
January 13, 2014 | Cowgirl Tennis
Jan. 13, 2014
STILLWATER - Oklahoma State's women's tennis team will serve up the 2014 spring season at the Hawaii Pacific Hidden Duals in Maui, Hawaii.
Along with the 29th-ranked Cowgirls, the event will feature No. 4 Georgia, 44th-ranked Illinois and host Hawaii Pacific. The tournament is scheduled to begin this Thursday, Jan. 16.
Tournament Format
The Cowgirls will be matched up with a different team each day of the tournament. There will be a point system to determine a champion and there will be first, second and third place for both singles and doubles. For a victory, each team will receive seven points at No. 1 singles, six points at No. 2, five points at No. 3, four points at No. 4, three points at No. 5, two points at No. 6 and one point for No. 7 and beyond, with doubles play following the same format.
Eyeing the Opponents
The Georgia Bulldogs enter the weekend ranked No. 4 in the latest Intercollegiate Tennis Association team rankings. Georgia is returning from a 2013 spring season that saw the Bulldogs notch a 24-4 overall record and a 12-1 mark in conference play. The Bulldogs' roster features four players ranked in the ITA singles rankings, including No. 4 Lauren Herring, 10th-ranked Silvia Garcia, No. 25 Maho Kowase and No. 33 Lilly Kimbell. Two Georgia doubles teams appear in the ITA doubles rankings. Lauren Herring and Maho Kowase come in at No. 5 in the doubles rankings, while Lilly Kimbell and Mia King are slotted at No. 52.
The 44th-ranked Illini finished the 2013 spring season with a 14-11 overall record and a 6-5 record in Big Ten conference matches. Illinois currently has no players ranked in the ITA doubles or singles rankings.
Hawaii Pacific is coming off of a 21-3 season last spring. The Sharks also currently have no players ranked in the ITA singles or doubles rankings.
Cowgirls in the Rankings
Oklahoma State's women's tennis team will begin the 2014 spring season as the 29th-ranked team in the nation, according to the latest Intercollegiate Tennis Association rankings.
Kanyapat Narattana will begin the dual season at No. 59 in the ITA singles rankings. The ranking comes on the heels of a successful fall season for Narattana that saw the senior notch a 10-5 singles record and take home the ITA Central Region singles title.
Top Ten and Counting
Cowgirl Kanyapat Narattana's huge fall season has propelled the senior into the tenth spot in the Oklahoma State record books for both career singles and doubles wins in the Big 12 era. Narattana enters her final spring season with 59 career singles victories, only one win behind Sasha Belova. Narattana currently holds 51 doubles wins and sits one win behind ninth place Martina Hautova.
Shooting for 50
Cowgirl tennis coach Chris Young has notched 48 wins during his first four seasons in Stillwater, putting him only two wins away from the 50 win mark. Two more Cowgirl victories would make Young the fourth women's tennis coach in Oklahoma State history to reach 50 wins while with the program.
Scheduling Tough
Much like last season, Oklahoma State's women's tennis schedule is loaded with quality opponents. The 2014 Cowgirl tennis schedule features 23 potential opponents, and 18 of those teams appear in the latest ITA team rankings. Oklahoma State has 11 guaranteed matches with ranked teams, and appearances at the 2014 Blue-Gray Tennis Classic provide potential matchups with No. 21 Notre Dame, 26th-ranked Arizona State, No. 12 Alabama, No. 23 Auburn, 22nd-ranked Rice, No. 53 Tulane and No. 36 Yale. The Big 12 is packed with top-notch competition once again this season, with seven of the conference's twelve teams currently ranked.
Fantastic Freshmen
Freshmen Megan McCray and Carla Tur Mari were outstanding for the Cowgirls this fall. McCray notched an impressive 11-4 singles record during the tournament season, with six of those wins coming against opponents appearing in the ITA singles rankings. McCray posted a 6-2 mark against ranked opponents. Carla Tur Mari has also played well this fall, posting a 9-7 record in singles play.
Fresh Faces
The 2013-14 season has brought several changes to the Cowgirl tennis roster. The team returns three players from the 2013 spring campaign but head coach Chris Young has brought on seven newcomers to the squad. The newcomers include sophomore transfer from Kansas State Miranda Erisman, as well as freshmen Megan McCray, Morgan McCray, Mariah Burke and Carla Tur Mari. Last Friday, Young announced the addition of Katarina Adamovic and Viktoriya Lushkova to the Cowgirl tennis roster.
Among the new faces is first year assistant coach Courtney Steinbock. Steinbock, a native of Lubbock, Texas, was brought into the program earlier this summer after spending three years as assistant coach at Mississippi State. Steinbock has also held positions at Wichita State, Washington State and her alma mater, the University of Kansas.
Keeping the Streak Alive
Over the past couple of seasons, senior Cowgirl Kanyapat Narattana and former teammate Malika Rose have become staples in the ITA doubles rankings, reaching as high as No. 14 in last fall's preseason rankings. Although Rose is gone, Narattana was featured in the 2013-14 preseason rankings, along with freshman Carla Tur Mari. Narattana is currently ranked at No. 59 in the ITA singles rankings The last time Narattana didn't appear in the ITA singles or doubles rankings was March 27, 2012.
