Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowgirls Host Iowa State, West Virginia
April 02, 2014 | Cowgirl Tennis
April 2, 2014
STILLWATER -
Oklahoma State's women's tennis team is set to host the Iowa State Cyclones and the West Virginia Mountaineers for its final pair of home matches this weekend. The Cowgirls (10-5, 4-0 Big 12) will take on the Cyclones on Friday, April 4, at 5 p.m. The Mountaineers will roll into Stillwater to face the Cowgirls on Saturday, April 5, at 5 p.m.
Senior Day
The Cowgirl tennis team will celebrate senior Kanyapat Narattana's career at Oklahoma State during its match with West Virginia on Saturday. Narattana sits in sixth place in the school record book for most career singles wins in the Big 12 era with 68. The Cowgirl has also notched 67 doubles wins during her time in Stillwater, which is good for eighth place in the school record book for most career doubles wins in the Big 12 era.
Last Time Out
The Cowgirls are coming off of a successful Big 12 road trip after defeating Kansas and Kansas State last weekend. Oklahoma State began the weekend by knocking off Kansas in a 7-0 sweep that included a sweep of all three doubles matches as well. The Cowgirls notched their sixth-straight win and their fourth Big 12 victory of the season with a 5-2 win over Kansas State on Sunday.
Eyeing the Opponents
The Iowa State Cyclones will enter the weekend with an 8-11 overall record and a 0-6 mark in Big 12 play. The Cyclones have lost seven-straight matches, dating back to their 5-2 loss to Drake on March 7. Iowa State is 3-5 in matches away from Ames. The Cyclones are led by seventh-year head coach Armando Espinosa.
The Mountaineers currently hold a 3-14 overall record and a 0-6 record in conference matches. West Virginia is still looking for its first win away from Morgantown, posting a 0-5 mark in matches outside the confines of the Mountaineer Tennis Courts. First-year head coach Miha Lisac leads the Mountaineers.
Matchup History
Friday will be the 39th meeting between the Cowgirls and the Cyclones. Iowa State is still looking for its first win in the series, having lost all 38 of the previous matchups. The last time the Cyclones and Cowgirls collided was in 2013, when Oklahoma State defeated Iowa State in a 6-1 match in Ames, Iowa.
Saturday will be only the second meeting between the Cowgirls and the Mountaineers. Oklahoma State took the only previous meeting between the two teams last season when it swept the Mountaineers, 7-0, in Morgantown, W. Va.
Cowgirls in the Rankings
Oklahoma State's women's tennis team is slotted at No. 22 in the latest team rankings released by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association on Tuesday. The ranking is the the Cowgirls' highest since 2001. The team sits only .12 points out of the top 20.
The ITA did not release singles and doubles rankings this week. Viktoriya Lushkova made a rise in the ITA singles rankings last week, jumping 29 spots to No. 54. Lushkova and teammate Kanyapat Narattana remained in the ITA doubles rankings last week as well, coming in at No. 65.
Megan Makes Her Mark
With her win over Kansas State's Palma Juhasz on Sunday, Megan McCray became the 10th Cowgirl freshman in the Big 12 era to notch 20 overall singles wins. McCray joins current Cowgirls Kanyapat Narattana and Maria Alvarez on the list of Oklahoma State players to reach the 20-win mark as freshmen.
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. 23 and No. 22, respectively, in the ITA team rankings. Before the release of the rankings last 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
Only two undefeated teams remain at the top of the Big 12 standings this week. The Cowgirls sit in the top spot with a 4-0 record in conference play, followed by 3-0 Baylor. Oklahoma and Texas sit tied in the third spot, both holding 3-1 Big 12 records after winning each of their two matches last weekend. TCU comes in at No. 5 this week, followed by Texas Tech at No. 6 after both knocked off Iowa State and West Virginia last weekend. Kansas and Kansas State are tied for seventh with 2-2 records in conference. Iowa State and West Virginia bring up the rear, each having winless marks in Big 12 play.
No Trouble in Doubles
Oklahoma State has been impressive in doubles this season, taking nine of the twelve 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 ten wins since teaming up in Jan., in the Cowgirls' match against Tulsa. Karyn Guttormsen and Katarina Adamovic have notched a 6-1 record as a tandem on three. The duo of Maria Alvarez and Carla Tur Mari has posted a 7-1 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 68 career singles victories, good for sixth in the record book. Narattana has also notched 67 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 20-8 overall singles record this far into her freshman season. Lushkova has posted 13 singles wins and 13 doubles wins since joining the team before the spring season. Tur Mari has racked up a 19-13 overall singles record in her first season as a Cowgirl.
