Cowgirls Bounce Back With Win Over No. 44 Arkansas

Friday, February 12

Fayetteville, AR

5 P.M.

Oklahoma State University

Arkansas

February 12, 2016 | Cowgirl Tennis

STILLWATER – The No. 15 Oklahoma State women's tennis team got back on track with an impressive 6-1 road win against No. 44 Arkansas inside the Dills Indoor Courts on Friday.

In the first true road match of the season, the Cowgirls (8-2; 0-0 Big 12) picked up their sixth win against a ranked opponent.

"We didn't necessarily start the way we wanted to, but we clawed back in doubles to get the point," assistant coach Matt Manasse said. "We came out in singles with confidence and I thought that was a big factor for us."

It took almost an hour and all three courts to decide the doubles point between the Cowgirls and Razorbacks.

The point was decided on court one. Maria Alvarez and Kelsey Laurente faced Makenzie Craft and Flavia Araujo of Arkansas. The seniors, ranked No. 17, took down the Razorbacks in a tight match, 7-6 (6).

"I'm really proud of how everyone competed," Alvarez said. "The doubles point was key from a mental standpoint, I'm proud of my partner Kelsey and how she kept pushing me until the end of the match."

Oklahoma State got doubles action started on court two with a win from Viktoriya Lushkova and Carla Tur Mari.

The junior tandem had no trouble getting past Shannon Hudson and Agne Cepelyte winning, 6-0.

On court three, Katarina Adamovic and Vladica Babic fell in a heartbreaker to Ana Oparenovic and Mia Jurasic, 7-6 (5).

The Razorbacks managed to tie the match 1-1 early on in singles play, as Mia Jurasic defeated Tur Mari at the No. 6 position, 6-4, 6-2.

OSU responded quickly with wins on courts two and four in quick succession.

Laurente gave the Cowgirls a 3-1 lead after her match on court four. The Florida native took down Craft with a straight-set victory, 6-2, 6-4.

On court two, Babic recorded a straight-set victory against Lysa, 6-3, 7-5.

The clinching point came on court one, as Adamovic closed out Hudson in two sets, 6-2, 6-4.

Both teams finished out the match on courts three and five.

Lushkova, the reigning Big 12 Player of the Week, posted a straight-set victory against Oparenovic, 7-6, 6-3.

In the final match of the night, Katarina Stresnakova grinded out a win against Sasha Shkorupeieva, 7-6, 3-6, 1-0 (10-6).

"We had a tough week of practices this week, and after having a few tough losses last weekend I thought we came out strong," Alvarez said.

For more information and updates on the Cowgirls, follow @CowgirlTennis on Twitter.

No. 15 Oklahoma State 6 vs. No. 44 Arkansas 1
Doubles | Order of Finish: 2, 3, 1
Court One: No. 17 Alvarez/Laurente (OSU) def. Craft/Araujo (Ark.), 7-6 (6)
Court Two: No. 30 Lushkova/Tur Mari (OSU) def. Hudson/Cepelyte (Ark.), 6-0
Court Three: Oparenovic/Jurasic (Ark.) def. No. 29 Adamovic/Babic (OSU), 7-6 (5)

Singles | Order of Finish: 6, 4, 2, 1, 3, 5
Court One: No. 28 Adamovic (OSU) def. Hudson (Ark.), 6-2, 6-4
Court Two: No. 33 Babic (OSU) def. Lysa (Ark.), 6-3, 7-5
Court Three: No. 45 Lushkova (OSU) def. Oparenovic (Ark.), 7-6, 6-3
Court Four: Laurente (OSU) def. Craft (Ark.), 6-2, 6-4
Court Five: Stresnakova (OSU) def. Shkorupeieva (Ark.), 7-6, 2-6, 1-0 (10-6)
Court Six: Jurasic (Ark.) def. Tur Mari (OSU), 6-4, 6-2