Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowgirls Prepare for Weekend Road Trip
March 26, 2014 | Cowgirl Tennis
March 26, 2014
STILLWATER -
Oklahoma State's women's tennis team will travel to face No. 47 Kansas and No. 61 Kansas State for a pair of conference matches this weekend. The Cowgirls (8-5, 2-0 Big 12) will kick off the weekend slate facing the Jayhawks in Lawrence, Kan., on Friday, March 28, at 3:30 p.m. The team will then travel to Manhattan, Kan., for a showdown with the Wildcats on Sunday, March 30, at 1 p.m.
Cowgirl Tennis on TV
The Cowgirls' match against Kansas will be the team's second televised match of the season. The match can be seen on ESPN3. Fans in the viewing area will be able to watch the game on the Jayhawk Network.
Last Time Out
The Cowgirls are coming off a successful weekend in Stillwater that saw the team take its first two conference matches of the season. The Cowgirls started off the weekend by knocking off 49th-ranked TCU. The win was highlighted by Viktoriya Lushkova's 6-0, 6-1 triumph over 53rd-ranked Stefanie Tan on one to give Oklahoma State its first singles point. On Sunday, the Cowgirls faced off with 33rd-ranked Texas Tech. The team bounced back from dropping the match's doubles point to take matches on one, two, three and six and steal the 4-3 win from the Red Raiders. Maria Alvarez clinched Sunday's match with a thriller of a three-set win on six.
Eyeing the Opponent
The Jayhawks will enter Friday's match as the 47th-ranked team in the nation. With an 11-4 overall record, Kansas is impressive at home, posting a 5-1 mark at the Jayhawk Tennis Center. The Jayhawks are currently one of four undefeated teams in the Big 12. Kansas split a pair of matches in Orlando, Fla., last weekend, falling to Indiana in a 5-2 match last Thursday before defeating Central Florida, 4-3, on Friday. The Jayhawks are led by first-year head coach Todd Chapman.
The 61st-ranked Wildcats enter Sunday's match with an 8-6 overall record and a 2-0 mark in Big 12 play. Kansas State is 5-0 within the confines of the K-State Tennis Center. The Wildcats are coming off a 4-3 loss to UC Santa Barbara in Santa Barbara, Calif., last Saturday. Petra Niedermayerova represents Kansas State in the ITA singles rankings, coming in at No. 56.
Matchup History
The Cowgirls hold a 25-17 advantage in the all-time series history with the Jayhawks. Oklahoma State knocked off Kansas in the last meeting with a 6-1 victory in Stillwater. The last time the Jayhawks were victorious in a collision with the Cowgirls was in 2009. In that match, Kansas defeated Oklahoma State, 4-3, in Stillwater.
Sunday will mark the 42nd all-time meeting between the Cowgirls and the Wildcats, with Oklahoma State taking 35 of the 41 previous meetings. Last season, Oklahoma State knocked off the then 36th-ranked Wildcats, 5-2, in Stillwater. The Cowgirls have won four of the last five meetings with the Wildcats.
Cowgirls in the Rankings
Oklahoma State's women's tennis team jumped seven spots to No. 23 in the latest team rankings released by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association on Tuesday. Viktoriya Lushkova made a rise in the ITA singles rankings this week, jumping 29 spots to No. 54. Lushkova and teammate Kanyapat Narattana remain in the ITA doubles rankings this week, coming in at No. 65.
Big 12 Player of the Week
Oklahoma State women's tennis player Viktoriya Lushkova has been named the Big 12 Player of the Week for matches played from March 18-24, the league office announced Tuesday. It is the Cowgirl freshman's first time receiving the award. Lushkova notched big wins over No. 53 Stefanie Tan of TCU and Kenna Kilgo of Texas Tech in singles play last weekend to pick up her 10th and 11th-straight victories.
Two in the Top 25
This week, Oklahoma State joins the list of 15 schools that have both men's and women's tennis teams ranked in the ITA top 25.
The Oklahoma State men's and women's tennis teams are slotted at No. 21 and No. 23, respectively, in the ITA team rankings. Before the release of the rankings on Tuesday, the Cowboy and Cowgirl tennis teams had simultaneously appeared in the ITA top 25 only three times: 1985, 1986, and 2003.
The Mighty Fall
The Cowgirls have knocked off a top-15 opponent in each of the last three seasons, the last being the 4-2 victory over 14th-ranked Oklahoma in Stillwater earlier this month. The Cowgirls downed 6th-ranked Texas, 4-3, in Stillwater in 2012 to begin the streak. In 2013, Oklahoma State defeated No. 12 Nebraska, 5-2, in San Diego.
Around the Big 12
After the first two weekends of conference play, four teams remain undefeated in Big 12 matches: Baylor (3-0), Kansas (2-0), Kansas State (2-0) and Oklahoma State (2-0). Texas sits in fifth place in the conference standings with a 3-1 record, the lone loss coming to TCU in the Longhorns' first conference match. Oklahoma sits in sixth with a 1-1 record after splitting matches with Texas Tech and TCU last weekend. The Red Raiders knocked off the Sooners in Norman, Okla., 5-2, last Friday. TCU and Texas Tech each hold one conference win each, while West Virginia and Iowa State sit winless at the bottom of the Big 12 standings still searching for their first wins.
No Trouble in Doubles
Oklahoma State has been impressive in doubles this season, taking seven of the ten total doubles points in 2014. Kanyapat Narattana and Viktoriya Lushkova have been a force for the Cowgirls on one doubles. Narattana and Lushkova have racked up eight wins since teaming up last month in the Cowgirls' match against Tulsa. Karyn Guttormsen and Katarina Adamovic have notched a 4-1 record as a tandem on three. The duo of Maria Alvarez and Carla Tur Mari has posted a 5-1 record on two.
Vik-torious
Freshman Viktoriya Lushkova has been red hot of late, having notched 11-straight triumphs. The Cowgirl freshman's last loss came on Jan. 17, against then 25th-ranked Maho Kowase of Georgia at the Hawaii Pacific Hidden Duals.
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 66 career singles victories, good for seventh in the record book. Narattana has also notched 65 doubles wins during her time in Stillwater, and sits in eighth place.
Nifty 50
With the win over Minnesota last month, 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.
Fantastic Freshmen
Freshmen Megan McCray, Carla Tur Mari and Viktoriya Lushkova have been outstanding for the Cowgirls since arriving in Stillwater. McCray has notched an 18-8 overall singles record this far into her freshman season. Lushkova has posted twelve singles wins and eleven doubles wins since joining the team before the spring season. Tur Mari has racked up an 18-12 overall singles record in her first season as a Cowgirl.
