Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowgirls Face Minnesota and Oregon in Minneapolis
February 12, 2014 | Cowgirl Tennis
Feb. 12, 2014
STILLWATER -
Oklahoma State's women's tennis team will travel to Minneapolis, Minn., this weekend to take on Minnesota and Oregon. The Cowgirls will face the Golden Gophers on Friday, Feb. 14, at 5 p.m., and return to the Baseline Tennis Center at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 15 to face the Ducks.
Last Time Out
The Cowgirls are coming off of a dominant, 6-0 victory last Sunday in Fayetteville, Ark., over the 49th-ranked Arkansas Razorbacks. Oklahoma State clinched the doubles point with a 6-0 win by Kanyapat Narattana and Viktoriya Lushkova on one and a 6-3 victory by Karyn Guttormsen and Katarina Adamovic on three. In singles, the Cowgirls made it look easy, not giving up a set to Razorbacks. The match was decided when Megan McCray knocked off Sarah McLean of Arkansas, 7-5, 6-3, on three.
Matchup History
This weekend's matchup will be the third time the Cowgirls and Golden Gophers clash. The series record is knotted at one win each, with Oklahoma State grabbing the win the last time the two teams met in 2013. In that match, the Cowgirls were dominant, completing a 7-0 sweep of the Gophers.
Oklahoma State and Oregon have only met once in the two teams' histories. The Cowgirls were victorious in that lone meeting, edging the Ducks in a 5-4 contest in 1997.
Eyeing the Opponents
The Minnesota Golden Gophers enter this weekend's matchup coming off of a 7-0 sweep of Montana in Missoula, Mont., last Sunday. Minnesota holds a 5-1 overall record, and is undefeated at home, boasting a 4-0 mark within the confines of the Baseline Tennis Center in Minneapolis.
The Oregon Ducks currently hold a 4-2 overall record, and are coming off two-straight losses against Iowa and DePaul last weekend in Iowa City, Iowa. The Ducks were bested 2-5 by the Hawkeyes last Friday and upended by the Blue Demons, 4-3, last Saturday. Nicole Long is the lone Duck ranked in the ITA singles rankings, coming in at No. 119.
Cowgirls in the Rankings
Oklahoma State's women's tennis team moved up two spots to No. 29 in the latest team rankings released by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association on Tuesday. The Cowgirls are represented in the ITA singles rankings as well, with freshman Megan McCray and senior Kanyapat Narattana both punching in this week.
McCray appears in the ITA rankings for the first time in her career, coming in at No. 64 after two wins last weekend. Narattana remains in the latest rankings. The senior is slotted in the 88th spot.
College MatchDay
Oklahoma State University Athletics will play host to College MatchDay, the nationwide series spotlighting college tennis. The program will spotlight the Bedlam match on March 9. College MatchDay is a weekly series highlighting marquee team matches featuring the best programs, players and coaches around the country. Matches will be broadcast live online and on mobile devices on ESPN3. In addition to online coverage, fans in attendance at the match will have access to the 53-foot, interactive Fan Experience trailer on site, where they can engage in a number of activities before and during the match.
The Cowgirls are one of three Big 12 teams that will be hosting College MatchDay this season. The program will make its way to Fort Worth, Texas, on March 1 for the men's match between TCU and Texas before travelling to Waco, Texas, on March 19 for the women's match featuring Baylor and Texas A&M.
30 For 30
The Oklahoma State men's and women's tennis teams are both slotted at No. 29 in the ITA team rankings. Before the release of the women's rankings on Tuesday, the Cowboy and Cowgirl tennis teams had simultaneously appeared in the ITA top 30 only three times: 1985, 1986, and 2003.
Top Ten and Counting
Cowgirl Kanyapat Narattana's huge fall season propelled the senior into the top ten 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 60 career singles victories, tied for ninth in the record book with Sasha Belova. Narattana currently holds 53 doubles wins and sits in ninth after passing Martina Hautova with two wins this weekend.
Shooting for 50
Cowgirl tennis coach Chris Young has notched 49 wins during his time in Stillwater, putting him only one win 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.
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. 88 in the ITA singles rankings. The last time Narattana didn't appear in the ITA singles or doubles rankings was March 27, 2012.
