Oklahoma State University Athletics
Friday, March 31
Lubbock, TX
5 p.m.
Oklahoma State University
4
at
2
Texas Tech
Photo by: OSU Athletics
Cowgirls’ Conference Streak Snapped at No. 6 Texas Tech
March 31, 2017 | Cowgirl Tennis
LUBBOCK, Texas – The seventh-ranked Oklahoma State women's tennis team dropped its first regular season Big 12 match in over two years Friday afternoon, falling, 4-2, at No. 6 Texas Tech to end the team's conference win streak at 16. It was the Cowgirls' first Big 12 regular season loss since March 29, 2015, which also came in Lubbock.
The Cowgirls (14-4, 2-1 Big 12) were faced with strong winds throughout the match with gusts measuring around 23 miles per hour at first serve. After the Red Raiders handed OSU only its third doubles point loss of the season to open the match, the Cowgirls opened singles by taking four first sets. OSU used wins from Viktoriya Lushkova and Katarina Stresnakova to tie the match at two; however, Texas Tech would close the door on an OSU comeback with two three-set wins to clinch the victory.
"Texas Tech has a great home court advantage," head coach Chris Young said. "You come here and they have great crowd support, and obviously the conditions are always tough. They used that to their advantage today, and I give them credit. They got the doubles point and got off to a really good start. We won four first sets and the girls competed well, but in the end, they went for the shots and we were just a little bit too defensive."
The Red Raiders used wins on courts one and three to secure the doubles point. Seniors Viktoriya Lushkova and Katarina Adamovic fell to Texas Tech's Alba Cortina-Pou and Alex Valenstein, 6-1, on three before Cowgirls Vladica Babic and Carla Tur Mari were defeated by No. 36 Sarah Dvorak and Sabrina Federici, 6-2, on one. Before doubles was suspended, Aliona Bolsova and Sofia Blanco had stormed back from being down, 5-2, in their match to tie No. 73 Gabriela Talaba and Felicity Maltby at five games apiece.
Lushkova wasted no time pulling the Cowgirls back into the match, posting one of the best performances of her senior season in a dominant, 6-1, 6-3 triumph over No. 17 Gabriela Talaba. The 10th-ranked Lushkova overwhelmed Talaba, overpowering the Red Raider junior for her 92nd career win. The win puts Lushkova only two wins away from tying herself as the winningest Cowgirl in the Big 12 era.
"I'm really proud of Viktoriya," Young said. "That's why she's the best player in the Big 12, and she showed that today. I'm really proud that she showed the effort that she did. For her to come out and quickly get us back even at one says a lot about her as a senior. Talaba has had a really good Big 12 season so far, and for Viktoriya to win the match like that, I thought that was really important. That's her being a senior, stepping up and responding from doubles."
The Cowgirls and Red Raiders traded wins on courts four and six to find themselves tied yet again at two.
Babic fell, 6-4, 6-1, to Sarah Dvorak on court four to briefly give Tech the lead, but Stresnakova would respond by finishing off a hard-fought, back-and-forth second set over Katelyn Jackson on six to pick up the 6-4, 6-4 win. With the win, Stresnakova pushed her perfect dual record this season to 8-0.
The Red Raiders would strike back with a 3-6, 6-3, 6-0 win over Katarina Adamovic at No. 2 to take a 3-2 advantage.
After giving up a 7-5 first set to Alex Valenstein, freshman Aliona Bolsova bounced back nicely in the form of a 6-0 second set victory. In the decisive third set, however, Valenstein would pull away late to notch a match-clinching 7-5, 0-6, 6-3 win.
As the match was clinched, freshman Lena Ruppert held a 3-2 lead in the third set of her match on five with Sabrina Federici.
The Cowgirls will have an opportunity to get back on track Sunday in Fort Worth, Texas, as they will match up with No. 33 TCU at 1 p.m.
No. 6 Texas Tech 4, No. 7 Oklahoma State 2
March 31, 2017 | McLeod Tennis Center | Lubbock, Texas
Singles | Order of finish: 1, 4, 6, 2, 3
No. 1: No. 10 Viktoriya Lushkova (OKST) def. No. 17 Gabriela Talaba (TTU) 6-1, 6-3
No. 2: No. 56 Felicity Maltby (TTU) def. No. 66 Katarina Adamovic (OKST) 3-6, 6-3, 6-0
No. 3: Alex Valenstein (TTU) def. No. 42 Aliona Bolsova (OKST) 7-5, 0-6, 6-3
No. 4: Sarah Dvorak (TTU) def. No. 73 Vladica Babic (OKST) 6-4, 6-1
No. 5: Lena Ruppert (OKST) vs. Sabrina Federici (TTU) 6-2, 4-6, 3-2
No. 6: Katarina Stresnakova (OKST) def. Katelyn Jackson (TTU) 6-4, 6-4
Doubles | Order of finish: 3, 1
No. 1: No. 36 Sarah Dvorak/Sabrina Federici (TTU) def. #5 Vladica Babic/Carla Tur Mari (OKST) 6-2
No. 2: No. 23 Aliona Bolsova/Sofia Blanco (OKST) vs. #73 Gabriela Talaba/Felicity Maltby (TTU) 5-5
No. 3: Alba Cortina-Pou/Alex Valenstein (TTU) def. #44 Viktoriya Lushkova/Katarina Adamovic (OKST) 6-1
The Cowgirls (14-4, 2-1 Big 12) were faced with strong winds throughout the match with gusts measuring around 23 miles per hour at first serve. After the Red Raiders handed OSU only its third doubles point loss of the season to open the match, the Cowgirls opened singles by taking four first sets. OSU used wins from Viktoriya Lushkova and Katarina Stresnakova to tie the match at two; however, Texas Tech would close the door on an OSU comeback with two three-set wins to clinch the victory.
"Texas Tech has a great home court advantage," head coach Chris Young said. "You come here and they have great crowd support, and obviously the conditions are always tough. They used that to their advantage today, and I give them credit. They got the doubles point and got off to a really good start. We won four first sets and the girls competed well, but in the end, they went for the shots and we were just a little bit too defensive."
The Red Raiders used wins on courts one and three to secure the doubles point. Seniors Viktoriya Lushkova and Katarina Adamovic fell to Texas Tech's Alba Cortina-Pou and Alex Valenstein, 6-1, on three before Cowgirls Vladica Babic and Carla Tur Mari were defeated by No. 36 Sarah Dvorak and Sabrina Federici, 6-2, on one. Before doubles was suspended, Aliona Bolsova and Sofia Blanco had stormed back from being down, 5-2, in their match to tie No. 73 Gabriela Talaba and Felicity Maltby at five games apiece.
Lushkova wasted no time pulling the Cowgirls back into the match, posting one of the best performances of her senior season in a dominant, 6-1, 6-3 triumph over No. 17 Gabriela Talaba. The 10th-ranked Lushkova overwhelmed Talaba, overpowering the Red Raider junior for her 92nd career win. The win puts Lushkova only two wins away from tying herself as the winningest Cowgirl in the Big 12 era.
"I'm really proud of Viktoriya," Young said. "That's why she's the best player in the Big 12, and she showed that today. I'm really proud that she showed the effort that she did. For her to come out and quickly get us back even at one says a lot about her as a senior. Talaba has had a really good Big 12 season so far, and for Viktoriya to win the match like that, I thought that was really important. That's her being a senior, stepping up and responding from doubles."
The Cowgirls and Red Raiders traded wins on courts four and six to find themselves tied yet again at two.
Babic fell, 6-4, 6-1, to Sarah Dvorak on court four to briefly give Tech the lead, but Stresnakova would respond by finishing off a hard-fought, back-and-forth second set over Katelyn Jackson on six to pick up the 6-4, 6-4 win. With the win, Stresnakova pushed her perfect dual record this season to 8-0.
The Red Raiders would strike back with a 3-6, 6-3, 6-0 win over Katarina Adamovic at No. 2 to take a 3-2 advantage.
After giving up a 7-5 first set to Alex Valenstein, freshman Aliona Bolsova bounced back nicely in the form of a 6-0 second set victory. In the decisive third set, however, Valenstein would pull away late to notch a match-clinching 7-5, 0-6, 6-3 win.
As the match was clinched, freshman Lena Ruppert held a 3-2 lead in the third set of her match on five with Sabrina Federici.
The Cowgirls will have an opportunity to get back on track Sunday in Fort Worth, Texas, as they will match up with No. 33 TCU at 1 p.m.
No. 6 Texas Tech 4, No. 7 Oklahoma State 2
March 31, 2017 | McLeod Tennis Center | Lubbock, Texas
Singles | Order of finish: 1, 4, 6, 2, 3
No. 1: No. 10 Viktoriya Lushkova (OKST) def. No. 17 Gabriela Talaba (TTU) 6-1, 6-3
No. 2: No. 56 Felicity Maltby (TTU) def. No. 66 Katarina Adamovic (OKST) 3-6, 6-3, 6-0
No. 3: Alex Valenstein (TTU) def. No. 42 Aliona Bolsova (OKST) 7-5, 0-6, 6-3
No. 4: Sarah Dvorak (TTU) def. No. 73 Vladica Babic (OKST) 6-4, 6-1
No. 5: Lena Ruppert (OKST) vs. Sabrina Federici (TTU) 6-2, 4-6, 3-2
No. 6: Katarina Stresnakova (OKST) def. Katelyn Jackson (TTU) 6-4, 6-4
Doubles | Order of finish: 3, 1
No. 1: No. 36 Sarah Dvorak/Sabrina Federici (TTU) def. #5 Vladica Babic/Carla Tur Mari (OKST) 6-2
No. 2: No. 23 Aliona Bolsova/Sofia Blanco (OKST) vs. #73 Gabriela Talaba/Felicity Maltby (TTU) 5-5
No. 3: Alba Cortina-Pou/Alex Valenstein (TTU) def. #44 Viktoriya Lushkova/Katarina Adamovic (OKST) 6-1
Players Mentioned
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