Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowgirls Compete at Blue Gray National Tennis Classic
February 19, 2014 | Cowgirl Tennis
Feb. 19, 2014
STILLWATER -
Oklahoma State's women's tennis team will travel to Montgomery, Ala., this weekend to compete at the 2014 Blue Gray National Tennis Classic. Tournament action is set to begin on Friday, Feb. 21, and wrap up on Sunday, Feb. 23. The Cowgirls will begin the tournament by facing 24th-ranked and fourth-seeded Rice on Friday morning at 9 a.m.
Tournament History
For 65 years, Montgomery, Ala., has hosted the Blue Gray National Tennis Classic. In 1949, Jack Bushman, President of the Southern Lawn Tennis Association and former captain of the tennis team at Louisiana State University, founded the tournament. The tournament was held as an individual contest rather than a team event for the first 30 years, and featured some of the best college tennis players from around the country. In 1983, the tournament was reborn as a team event as it remains today. Through its history, the Blue Gray National Tennis Invite has hosted seven Grand Slam single finalists and over thirty Grand Slam doubles champions.
Eyeing the Field
The 2014 National Blue Gray Tennis Classic features an impressive eight-team field. Along with Oklahoma State, the women's tournament bracket includes Alabama, Auburn, Illinois, Rice, Texas Tech, Tulane and Yale. All eight teams competing in the tournament are ranked in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's team rankings, with four of the eight teams appearing in the top 25. The field also combines to feature 11 players ranked in the ITA singles rankings and six doubles teams ranked in the ITA doubles rankings.
Last Time Out
The Cowgirls are coming off of a big weekend in Minneapolis, Minn., that saw the team notch sweeps over Minnesota and Oregon. Oklahoma State had decisive victories over Minnesota in doubles on courts one and three to seal the point, and was just as impressive in singles play, handing Minnesota straight-set losses on four of the six singles courts. The Cowgirls carried that momentum over to Saturday when they turned in an equally dominant performance over the Ducks.
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.
Clean Sweeps
With sweeps over Arkansas, Minnesota and Oregon, the Cowgirl tennis team has posted three-straight shutouts for the first time since 2000. During that streak, Oklahoma State swept Kansas, Southern Methodist, Oklahoma and Texas Tech in Stillwater. The last time the Cowgirls notched three consecutive sweeps over opponents away from Stillwater was in 1991 when Oklahoma State took three-straight 9-0 road victories at Missouri, Kansas and Kansas State.
30 For 30
The Oklahoma State men's and women's tennis teams are both slotted in the top 30 in the latest ITA team rankings. Before the release of the rankings last week, 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 currently holds 62 career singles victories, good for eighth in the record book. Narattana has also notched 57 doubles wins during her time in Stillwater, and sits in eighth after passing Malika Rose with two wins this weekend.
Nifty 50
With the win over Minnesota last Friday, Cowgirl tennis coach Chris Young notched his 50th win since taking over the reins. Young is 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, Carla Tur Mari and Viktoriya Lushkova have been outstanding for the Cowgirls since arriving in Stillwater. McCray has notched a 15-4 overall singles record this far into her freshman season. The freshman from Oceanside, Calif., has won four straight, including a three-set victory over 46th-ranked Yelena Nemchen of Tulsa last month. Lushkova has posted six singles wins and seven doubles wins since joining the team before the spring season. Tur Mari has racked up a 14-10 overall singles record in her first season as a Cowgirl, with nine of those 14 wins coming in straight-sets.
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.
