Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowgirls Set to Battle No. 14 Oklahoma
March 05, 2014 | Cowgirl Tennis
March 5, 2014
STILLWATER - Oklahoma State's women's tennis team will host 14th-ranked Oklahoma in a non-conference Bedlam battle at the Greenwood Tennis Center on Sunday, March 9. The match is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m.
College MatchDay will be on site to cover this weekend's match. College MatchDay is a weekly series featuring the best programs, players and coaches around the country. The match 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 Fan Experience trailer will be open to the public beginning at 11 a.m. on Sunday.
Fans can follow the match with live scoring here: http://www.okstate.com/sports/w-tennis/spec-rel/041213aab.html
Eyeing the Opponent
The 14th-ranked Sooners are coming off of a 4-3 win over No. 49 Utah in Albuquerque, N.M., last Saturday. The team currently has a 9-1 record on the season and has won its last seven matches. The Sooners have knocked off seven ranked opponents in 2014 and are 5-1 this season away from the Headington Tennis Center. Oklahoma's Hermon Brhane represents the team in the ITA singles rankings, coming in at No. 98. The Sooner tandem of Mia Lancaster and Whitney Ritchie are slotted at No. 51 in the ITA doubles rankings.
Matchup History
The Cowgirls lead the all-time Bedlam series by 13 wins with a 31-18 record in previous matches. Oklahoma State won the last meeting, defeating then 36th-ranked Oklahoma in an epic, 4-3 match at the DeBois Tennis Complex in Stillwater. The win broke a five-match losing streak to the Sooners that dated back to 2009.
Cowgirls in the Rankings
Oklahoma State's women's tennis team jumped 11 spots to No. 39 in the latest team rankings released by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association on Tuesday.
The Cowgirls' spike in this week's rankings comes at the heels of a 6-1 victory over Wichita State at the Greenwood Tennis Center last Sunday.
Cowgirl freshman Viktoriya Lushkova made her first appearance in the ITA singles rankings last week, coming in at No. 108.
Last Time Out
The Cowgirls are coming off of a 6-1 victory over No. 49 Wichita State in Stillwater last Sunday. Oklahoma State took the doubles point with Cowgirl wins on one and three doubles. Freshman Carla Tur Mari clinched the match for the team with a 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 win on five.
No. 50 Oklahoma State 6, No. 49 Wichita State 1 March 2, 2014 | Greenwood Tennis Center | Stillwater, Okla.
Doubles | Order of finish: 3,1,unf. No. 1 - Lushkova/Narattana (OSU) def. Blaskova/Kovalova (WSU) 8-3 No. 2 - Tur Mari/Alvarez (OSU) vs. Pedrazzi/Blasco Fernandez (WSU) 5-4, unf. No. 3 - Adamovic/Guttormsen (OSU) def. Stevens/Schiller (WSU) 8-2
Singles | Order of finish: 4,3,5,1,6,2 No. 1 - Viktoriya Lushkova (OSU) def. Julia Schiller (WSU) 3-6, 6-1, 6-2 No. 2 - Rebecca Pedrazzi (WSU) def. Megan McCray (OSU) 2-6, 7-5, 7-6(5) No. 3 - Kanyapat Narattana (OSU) def. Lucia Kovalova (WSU) 6-4, 6-4 No. 4 - Katarina Adamovic (OSU) def. Veronika Blaskova (WSU) 6-1, 6-2 No. 5 - Carla Tur Mari (OSU) def. Abby Stevens (WSU) 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 No. 6 - Karyn Guttormsen (OSU) def. Montse Blasco Fernandez (WSU) 7-6(3), 6-4
The Last Time...
This weekend marks the first time in almost two years that a team ranked in the ITA top-15 has traveled to Stillwater to face the Cowgirls. The last top-15 team that came into Stillwater was the 2012 Texas Longhorns. Texas was ranked sixth in the nation prior to that match. The Cowgirls were victorious in the matchup, posting a 4-3 win over the Longhorns.
No Trouble in Doubles
Oklahoma State has been impressive in doubles this season, taking seven of the nine 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 seven-straight wins since teaming up last month in the Cowgirls' match against Tulsa. Karyn Guttormsen and Katarina Adamovic are also unbeaten with a 4-0 record as a tandem on three. The duo of Maria Alvarez and Carla Tur Mari has posted a 3-1 record on two.
Pair of Streaks
The Oklahoma State women's tennis roster boasts a pair of Cowgirls on a five-match winning streak or greater. Freshman Viktoriya Lushkova has notched eight-straight triumphs, while freshman Carla Tur Mari has posted six-straight wins.
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 59 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 a 16-7 overall singles record this far into her freshman season. Lushkova has posted nine singles wins and ten doubles wins since joining the team before the spring season. Tur Mari has racked up a 17-10 overall singles record in her first season as a Cowgirl, with 11 of those 17 wins coming in straight-sets.
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 17 of those teams appear in the latest ITA team rankings. Oklahoma State has 12 guaranteed matches with ranked teams, and appearances at the ITA Kickoff Weekend and 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 eight of the conference's ten teams currently ranked.
