Oklahoma State University Athletics
Second-Seeded Cowgirls Set for Big 12 Tennis Championships
April 23, 2014 | Cowgirl Tennis
April 23, 2014
STILLWATER -
Oklahoma State's women's tennis team will compete at the Big 12 Women's Tennis Championships this weekend. TCU is set to host this season's tournament in Fort Worth, Texas, at the Bayard H. Friedman Tennis Center. The second-seeded Cowgirls (13-7, 7-2 Big 12) will begin tournament action on Friday, April 25, when they take on the winner of Thursday's match between seventh-seeded Kansas State and No. 10 seed West Virginia. Big 12 semifinal action is slated for Saturday, April 26, with the championship match scheduled for Sunday, April 27.
About the Cowgirls
The Oklahoma State Cowgirls enter the 2014 Big 12 Tennis Championships with a 13-7 overall record and a 7-2 mark in Big 12 play. The Cowgirls posted seven conference victories this season for the first time since 2007 and for only the fifth time since 1997. Nine of the Cowgirls' 13 wins this season have come over ranked opponents, including two over top 25 competition. The Cowgirls have been slotted as high as No. 21 in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's team rankings in 2014, and currently sit at No. 25. The Cowgirls are 2-3 in neutral site matches this season, and 7-6 in matches away from the Greenwood Tennis Center in Stillwater. The Cowgirls are led by fifth-year head coach Chris Young(251-147, 61-52 at OSU).
OSU in the Big 12 Tournament
The Cowgirls are looking to one-up their 2013 performance at this season's Big 12 tournament. Last season, the team upended top-seeded Baylor to advance to the conference championship match where it fell short against Texas, 4-0. It marked only the third time since 1997 that the Cowgirls advanced to a conference championship match. Oklahoma State has taken home the Big 12 tournament crown only one time, that being 2003. Oklahoma State has posted a 17-17 record in Big 12 tournament matches. The 2014 Cowgirls hold their highest seed in the tournament since 2001.
Cowgirls in the Rankings
The Cowgirls dropped four spots to No. 25 in this week's ITA team rankings after falling to Oklahoma, 4-3, in Norman last weekend. Viktoriya Lushkova increased her individual ranking, moving up eight spots from No. 52 to No. 44. Lushkova finishes the 2014 regular season with a 16-3 overall record and a 6-2 mark in conference action. Kanyapat Narattana and Viktoriya Lushkovachecked in at No. 65 in this week's doubles rankings.
The Champs Are Here
Oklahoma State women's tennis team members Katarina Adamovic and Maria Alvarezhave been named Big 12 singles champions in their respective positions, the league office announced Tuesday. Adamovic earned the 2014 title at No. 4 singles while Alvarez is this year's champion at No. 6 singles. This marks the first season since 2007 that two or more Cowgirls earned conference singles championships in the same year.
Adamovic posted a 6-3 record at the No. 4 spot in Big 12 play this season. The freshman's six wins tie her atop the list at her position with Blair Shankle of Baylor and Oklahoma's Mia Lancaster. Adamovic is the 17th Cowgirl in school history to earn a conference singles title at the No. 4 position.
Alvarez was perfect at the No. 6 singles position in conference play this season, posting a 6-0 record to take the title outright. The sophomore is the 12th Cowgirl to be crowned singles champion in the sixth spot.
Last Time Out
The Cowgirls are coming off a tough loss to No. 18 Oklahoma in their final regular-season match last weekend in Norman, Okla. The Sooners took the doubles point in a tiebreaker on three over Cowgirls Karyn Guttormsen and Katarina Adamovic. Oklahoma took wins on one, two and five to seal the win over the Cowgirls. Oklahoma State's Kanyapat Narattana, Katarina Adamovic and Maria Alvarezeach took wins on three, four and six, respectively. The match was a tight one, with four of the six singles matches being decided in three sets.
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 Alvarezon the list of Oklahoma State players to reach the 20-win mark as freshmen.
Cowgirls Taking 20
Three Cowgirls have notched 20 overall singles wins this season. Kanyapat Narattana, Megan McCray and Carla Tur Mari have all reached the 20-win mark in 2014. Narattana reached 20 wins for the second time in her career. The senior notched 21 wins during her freshman year at Oklahoma State. Karyn Guttormsensits only one win away from being the fourth Cowgirl to enter the 20-win threshold, posting 19 wins thus far into her junior campaign.
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.
Top Ten and Counting
Cowgirl Kanyapat Narattana'shuge 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 70 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 Youngnotched 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 22-11 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 20-16 overall singles record in her first season as a Cowgirl.
