Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowgirl Tennis Faces No. 47 SMU and No. 31 OU
February 26, 2015 | Cowgirl Tennis
The Basics
The 12th-ranked Oklahoma State women's tennis team will battle two teams this weekend, taking No. 47 SMU on Friday at 5:30 p.m. at the Greenwood Tennis Center. On Sunday, the squad will travel to Norman, Okla., to face No. 31 Oklahoma in a nonconference meeting.
Keep Up with the Match
Fans can follow all the action this weekend through updates on Twitter by following @CowgirlTennis and through live stats on okstate.com for the match against SMU on Friday. Live results for the OU match are available on soonersports.com.
In the ITA Rankings
The Cowgirls check in at No. 12 in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) rankings. Oklahoma State faces two ranked opponents in No. 31 OU and No. 47 SMU.
Four Cowgirls make appearances in the ITA singles rankings with sophomore All-American Viktoriya Lushkova at No. 12, Katarina Adamovic at No. 77, Kelsey Laurente at No. 80 and freshman Vladica Babic at No. 105. None of the Cowgirls' opponents have players ranked in singles.
Lushkova and doubles partner Laurente, a transfer from the University of Miami, pair up as the nation's sixth-ranked doubles team. Neither SMU nor OU have ranked doubles teams.
Last Time Out
On Feb. 22, the No. 13 Oklahoma State women's tennis team defeated the No. 35 Tulsa Golden Hurricane for the first time since 2006 at the Case Tennis Center, 4-3.
No. 13 Oklahoma State 4, No. 35 Tulsa 3
Feb. 21, 2015 :: Case Tennis Center (Tulsa, Okla.)
Doubles | 1,3
1. Laskutova/Kuricova (TU) def. No. 3 Lushkova/Laurente (OSU), 6-2
2. Leenabanchong/Cichon (TU) vs. Babic/Adamovic (OSU), 4-4 Unf.
3. Dadireddy/Saarteinen (TU) def. Tur Mari/Alvarez (OSU), 6-2
Singles | 4,3,5,6,2,1*
1. No. 11 Viktoriya Lushkova (OSU) def. Ksenia Laskutova (TU), 6-3, 6-7, 7-5
2. No. 100 Leenabanchong (TU) def. No. 58 Kelsey Laurente (OSU), 6-4, 6-7, 6-4
3. No. 110 Katarina Adamovic (OSU) def. Yelena Nemchen (TU), 4-6, 6-2, 6-0
4. Vladica Babic (OSU) def. Marcelina Cichon (TU), 6-1, 6-1
5. Carla Tur Mari (OSU) def. Saana Saarteinen (TU), 7-6, 6-4
6. Renata Kuricova (TU) def. Maria Alvarez (OSU), 4-6, 6-1, 6-4
Match Cancelled
Due to inclement weather, the Cowgirls' match vs. ORU, which was scheduled for Friday at 10:30 a.m., has been cancelled.
Series History vs. Opponents
The Cowgirls hold a commanding series advantage over Oklahoma (32-19). A notable win for the squad was last March, when the Cowgirls defeated No. 14 OU at the Greenwood Tennis Center in front of a packed house as part of College MatchDay. The SMU Mustangs hold a slight advantage in the series history, leading the Cowgirls, 7-6.
Success Against the Best
Oklahoma State has compiled an 8-2 record coming into the weekend, but the number in the loss column doesn't define the Cowgirls' season. Of the ten matches the Cowgirls have played this season, eight were against ranked opponents. The Cowgirls have surpassed tough tests against No. 24 Ole Miss, No. 29 Texas Tech, No. 35 Tulsa and No. 41 Arkansas. Oklahoma State has a 2-2 record against higher-ranked opponents, including upset wins against No. 18 Georgia Tech and No. 11 Vanderbilt. Both of its losses come from teams ranked in the top ten.
Alvarez Gets 50
Junior Maria Alvarez notched her 50th singles win earlier in the season, defeating Katelyn Jackson of Texas Tech in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3. She now holds a career record of 53-31 and ranks No. 13 in singles wins during the Big 12 era for the Cowgirls.
The Greenwood Effect
The Cowgirls are undefeated at home this season, holding a 4-0 record at the Greenwood Tennis Center. In addition to the unblemished home record, the Cowgirls have outscored their opponents at home, 25-1, surrendering only one team point on the season.
Follow Cowgirl Tennis
Stay up to date with the Oklahoma State women's tennis team on the following social media sites:
Twitter: @CowgirlTennis
Facebook: Oklahoma State Women's Tennis
Snapchat: OSUathletics
YouTube: youtube.com/osuathletics
The Squad
Coach Chris Young returns six Cowgirls from the 2013-14 season. Among them is Cowgirl standout Viktoriya Lushkova, who achieved All-America status last season as a freshman. Joining her is senior Karyn Guttormsen, who is primed for her third season with the team. Maria Alvarez also returns for her third season as she begins her junior season. Besides Lushkova, the Pokes have three other sophomores in the lineup, including Katarina Adamovic, Mariah Burke and Carla Tur Mari.
New to Oklahoma State is junior Kelsey Laurente, a transfer from the University of Miami, and freshman Vladica Babic of Montenegro.
Fall Review
Oklahoma State is coming off a fall season, where several Cowgirls produced strong performances. Three Oklahoma State players won tournament titles, including Viktoriya Lushkova, Kelsey Laurente and Katarina Adamovic.
Lushkova won the singles bracket of the ITA Central Region Championship, which was held at the Greenwood Tennis Center in Stillwater, Okla. Lushkova teamed up with Laurente in the doubles portion of the event to take the title and earn them trips to New York City to compete in the USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships.
Adamovic won the singles division of the Dickie V Clay Court Classic, knocking off No. 89 Belinda Woolcock of Florida, 6-4, 6-0.
At the ITA Central Region Championships the Cowgirls dominated as three Pokes competed in the singles semifinals and both teams in the doubles finals were clad in orange and black.
Pluskota Joins the Coaching Staff
Oklahoma State Director of Tennis and women's head coach Chris Young announced the addition of Natalie Pluskota as a volunteer assistant coach for the Cowgirls.
Pluskota, a graduate from the University of Tennessee, was a four-time All-American, earning the doubles honor three times and the singles honor once. While a Lady Vol, she was ranked as high as No. 1 in doubles and No. 24 in singles in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association rankings.
After graduating from Tennessee, Pluskota went on to play professionally and has won four ITF doubles titles with five more finals appearances. She reached a No. 157 world ranking in doubles and a No. 478 world ranking in singles.
ITA Introduces New Dual Match Format
In December, the ITA Division I Operating Committee made changes to the dual match format so that it shortens the length of the match. Changes include:
-No-ad scoring in singles and doubles.
-Three doubles matches played, each match one set to 6, with a tie-break at 6-all.
-Followed (after a 5-minute intermission) by six singles matches, each match 2 out of 3 sets,
with tie-breaks at 6-all.
-No warm-up with opponents (in doubles and in singles)
