Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowgirls Primed for Top-25 Bedlam Showdown
April 16, 2014 | Cowgirl Tennis
April 16, 2014
STILLWATER -
Oklahoma State's women's tennis team will wrap up its regular season this weekend when it travels to Norman, Okla., for a matchup with 18th-ranked Oklahoma on Saturday, April 19, at noon.
Cowgirl Tennis on TV
The Cowgirls' match against Oklahoma will be the team's fourth televised match of the season. This weekend's Bedlam match will be televised live Saturday on SoonerSports.tv and replayed on Fox Sports Oklahoma on Sunday night at 7 p.m. The Cowgirls are a perfect 3-0 in televised matches this season, with the first of those wins coming against Oklahoma last month at the Greenwood Tennis Center.
Last Time Out
Last weekend, the Cowgirls split Big 12 matches with Baylor and Texas. 14th-ranked Baylor beat the Cowgirls, 5-2, in Waco, Texas, on Friday. Freshman Viktoriya Lushkova provided the highlight of Friday's match when she defeated 51st-ranked Kiah Generette in three-sets on one. The Cowgirls finished up the weekend on a high note, defeating 22nd-ranked Texas, 4-3, in Austin for the first time since 1989 and only the second time in program history. Freshman Katarina Adamovic sealed the win for Oklahoma State, defeating Pippa Horn of Texas in an intense 6-0, 4-6, 6-4 match on four.
Eyeing the Opponent
The 18th-ranked Sooners enter Saturday's Bedlam match with a 15-5 overall record and a 5-3 mark in Big 12 play. The team is coming off a 0-2 effort last weekend against Baylor and Texas, falling 6-1 and 5-2 in those two conference matches, respectively. Whitney Ritchie (No. 76) represents the Sooners in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association singles rankings. Ritchie and Mia Lancaster appear in the ITA doubles rankings for Oklahoma, coming in at No. 76 in that poll as well. The Sooners have been solid in Norman this season, posting a 7-1 record in home matches. Head coach David Mullens leads the Sooners in his sixth season at the helm in Norman.
Matchup History
The Cowgirls boast a 32-18 record in the all-time women's tennis Bedlam series. Oklahoma State will be going for the season sweep of the Sooners on Saturday, winning the last Bedlam matchup, 4-2, in Stillwater last month with College MatchDay and ESPN3 in town. The Cowgirls have posted two-straight victories in Bedlam matches, each in Stillwater, but will be in search of their first win in Norman since 2008 on Saturday.
Cowgirls in the Rankings
Oklahoma State's women's tennis team maintained its top-25 spot in the ITA team rankings released on Tuesday. The Cowgirls jumped two spots to No. 21 in the women's rankings after splitting two Big 12 road matches against Baylor and Texas. Lushkova catapulted 26 spots up the poll to No. 52 this week after notching two ranked wins over 51st-ranked Kiah Generette of Baylor and No. 117 Elizabeth Begley of Texas. The lone ranked Cowgirl tandem of Kanyapat Narattana and Viktoriya Lushkova found itself down four spots in the rankings this week despite winning both of its matches last weekend. Lushkova and Narattana come in at No. 53 in the latest rankings.
Big 12 Player of the Week
Oklahoma State women's tennis freshman Viktoriya Lushkova has been named Big 12 Women's Tennis Player of the Week, as selected by league officials, for matches played April 8-14. This is the second time this season that Lushkova has earned the weekly honor.
Lushkova continued her hot streak this weekend going 2-0 at the No. 1 spot in both singles and doubles competition. In singles play, Lushkova picked up her fourth and fifth wins over ranked opponents this season. The freshman defeated 51st-ranked Kiah Generette of Baylor in a three-set victory on Friday. Lushkova wrapped up the weekend by besting No. 117 Elizabeth Begley of Texas in straight-sets to help lift the Cowgirls over the Longhorns and win in Austin, Texas, for the first time since 1989 on Sunday.
In doubles play, Lushkova teamed up with Kanyapat Narattana to win both matches on the No. 1 doubles court.
Freshmen Making Their Mark
Freshmen Megan McCray and Carla Tur Mari have each posted at least 20 overall singles wins during their time at Oklahoma State, making them the 10th and 11th freshmen in the Big 12 era to reach that mark. The pair joins current Cowgirls Kanyapat Narattana and Maria Alvarez on the list of Oklahoma State players to reach the 20-win mark as freshmen.
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 last 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 dust settled last weekend, Baylor remained as the lone undefeated team at the top of the Big 12 women's tennis standings, clinching the top tournament seed with a 2-0 effort last weekend. The Cowgirls sit in second with a 7-1 mark. Oklahoma State has locked up the second seed in the Big 12 tournament next weekend, but can capture a share of the regular season Big 12 title with a Bedlam win and a Baylor loss to Texas this weekend. Texas, Texas Tech and Oklahoma round out the top five in the Big 12 race, followed by TCU, Kansas and Kansas State. Iowa State picked up its first conference win of the season last weekend with a triumph over winless West Virginia.
No Trouble in Doubles
Oklahoma State has been impressive in doubles this season, taking 12 of the 16 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 13 wins since teaming up in Jan., in the Cowgirls' match against Tulsa. Karyn Guttormsen and Katarina Adamovic have notched an 8-2 record as a tandem on three. The duo of Maria Alvarez and Carla Tur Mari has posted a 9-3 record on two.
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 69 career singles victories, good for sixth in the record book. Narattana has also notched 70 doubles wins during her time in Stillwater, and sits in eighth place.
Nifty 50
With the win over Minnesota in February, 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 22-10 overall singles record this far into her freshman season. Lushkova has posted 16 singles wins and 17 doubles wins since joining the team before the spring season. Tur Mari has racked up a 20-15 overall singles record in her first season as a Cowgirl.
