Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowgirls Prepare to Host ITA Kickoff Weekend
January 21, 2016 | Cowgirl Tennis
The Basics
Fans can follow all the action this weekend through updates on Twitter by following @CowgirlTennis and through live stats on okstate.com. Simply go to the Cowgirl Tennis homepage and the link will be prominently displayed.
The Squad
Coach Chris Young returns six Cowgirls from the 2014-15 season. Among them is Cowgirl standout Viktoriya Lushkova, who achieved All-America status for the second time during her sophomore campaign. Joining her are seniors Kelsey Laurente and Maria Alvarez. The Pokes also return Katarina Adamovic, Vladica Babic and Carla Tur Mari from last year's NCAA Tournament squad.
In The ITA Rankings
The Cowgirls enter the weekend ranked No. 11 in the Oracle/ITA rankings. The Cowgirls return look to build upon 2015, where they earned a spot in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament after taking down Arizona State in Stillwater.
Every Cowgirl that competed in fall action is ranked by the ITA in both singles or doubles. Four Cowgirls are ranked in singles and three Cowgirl pairings earned doubles rankings.
Kelsey Laurente and Maria Alvarez are ranked as the No. 9 doubles tandem in the country due to their ITA Central Region title, after being unranked in the fall. Viktoriya Lushkova and Carla Tur Mari are tabbed as the No. 23 pairing in the nation and Vladica Babic and Katarina Adamovic hold the No. 38 ranking.
Adamovic is the highest ranked Cowgirl in singles, earning the No. 27 spot after winning the singles championship at the ITA Central Regional in Stillwater. Babic is ranked No. 38 after a championship run at the Dick Vitale Clay Court Classic.
All-American Lushkova checks in at the No. 46 spot in the first ITA rankings of the spring. Laurente earned the No. 89 slot in the rankings, after earning Big 12 Newcomer of the Year last season.
Uno, Dos, Tres
The Cowgirls picked up three wins in a span of three days to start the 2016 spring season. OSU earned the first win of the season in a 6-1 defeat of Abilene Christian. The Cowgirls picked up the second win of the season on the same day, a 4-0 victory against in-state rival Oral Roberts.
A few days later, the Pokes earned win number three with a dominant 7-0 victory against No. 74 Wyoming inside the Michael and Anne Greenwood Tennis Center.
Fresh On The Scene
Two Cowgirls recently competed for the first time as Pokes. Freshmen Alexis Lucas stepped on the court against Oral Roberts, where she took competed on court six against Valentina Maya Gisbert of Oral Roberts.
January enrollee Katarina Stresnkaova arrived on campus in Janurary and got right to work. The newest Cowgirl has competed in the first three matches of the spring season. The native of Nova Dedinka, Slovakia has a 2-1 record so far this spring.
Coach Young had the following to say about Stresnakova: "She is a player who is very focused on her goals for the future and she will have an immediate impact on our program."
