Cowgirls Look to Defend Big 12 Tournament Title in Norman

Postseason Guide
Tournament Central

STILLWATER – The ninth-ranked Oklahoma State women's tennis team opens postseason play this weekend in Norman, Okla., as it tries to defend its 2016 tournament title at the Big 12 Championships.

Competing as the No. 2 seed after tying with Texas Tech for the regular season conference title, the Cowgirls (20-4, 8-1 Big 12) will serve up play at the event on Friday at 4 p.m. in the tournament quarterfinals as they take on the winner of Thursday's match between Kansas and West Virginia.

Watch and Follow the Matches
Fans can stream each match at the Big 12 Championships aside from the finals live on FloTennis.com. Fox Sports Southwest will carry the championship match on Sunday at 4 p.m.

About the Cowgirls
Fresh off clinching their second-straight Big 12 regular season title, Oklahoma State enters this weekend's conference bouts at 20-4 overall after posting an 8-1 mark in Big 12 action. The Cowgirls return five contributing letterwinners from a 2015-16 campaign that saw the Cowgirls post the best finish in program history, earning the title of NCAA Runners-Up. Last season, OSU racked up a 29-5 record on the way to earning the program's first Big 12 Championship in 13 years, thanks in part to a 9-0 conference record.

The OSU roster is headlined by three standout seniors in Katarina Adamovic, Viktoriya Lushkova and Carla Tur Mari. Adamovic is coming off an impressive junior season that saw the Cacak, Serbia native earn her first ITA All-American honor by way of advancing to the NCAA individual quarterfinals last summer. A two-time All-American and the 2015 Big 12 Co-Player of the Year, Lushkova has been a key to the Cowgirls' unprecedented success as well, racking up a team-leading 93 wins during her time in Stillwater. Tur Mari provided a major boost to the back end of the OSU singles lineup in 2016, going 22-8 in the No. 6 spot.

Also returning for the Cowgirls are junior Vladica Babic and sophomore Katarina Stresnakova. Babic tallied six victories over ranked opponents in 2016, including a triumph over No. 28 Kennedy Shaffer of Georgia to help push the Cowgirls to a win over the Bulldogs in the NCAA Sweet 16. The highlight of Stresnakova's first season in Stillwater came in the NCAA Tournament, when the Slovakia product took down Ferny Angeles Paz of Ohio State in the NCAA quarterfinals to clinch the win over the Buckeyes and push the Cowgirls in to the national semifinals.

Oklahoma State newcomers Sofia Blanco, Aliona Bolsova and Lena Ruppert have been key pieces to the Cowgirls' strong start as well, going a combined 62-17 overall in singles.

The Cowgirls boasted one of the most impressive doubles records in the country in 2016, winning all but one doubles point in 34 matches. That trend has continued this season, as OSU has taken 21 of 24 possible doubles points on the year.

Head coach Chris Young enters his eighth season at the helm of the Cowgirl tennis program after earning his 100th win with the program last season. Young is assisted by second-year assistant coach Matt Manasse and volunteer assistant coach Jaime Jaime Sánchez-Cañamares Rios.

Notable Streaks and Trends
?The Cowgirls have spent 56 consecutive weeks in the ITA top 25. The last time OSU was outside the top 25 was March 18, 2014.
?The Cowgirls have won 20 or more matches in each of the last three seasons.
?Since 2012, OSU has made five-straight NCAA Tournament appearances. That streak is the second-longest in program history behind a 10-year streak that saw the Cowgirls earn NCAA Tournament berths from 1982-91.
?OSU has won 32-straight matches at the Greenwood Tennis Center, dating back to March of 2015.
?The Cowgirls were impressive during the fall, racking up a 65-16 (.802) overall singles record and a 28-14 (.667) overall mark in doubles.
?That success has continued this spring, as OSU opened the 2017 dual season with 13 sweeps in its first 24 matches.

Last Time Out
For the second-straight season, the Oklahoma State women's tennis team will take home the Big 12 regular season crown. The ninth-ranked Cowgirls tallied their fifth consecutive sweep Sunday morning in a 4-0 shutout over Iowa State to clinch a share of the conference title. The championship marks OSU's fourth in the Big 12 era.

With the win, the Cowgirls (20-4, 8-1 Big 12) also stretched their streak of 20-win seasons to three and pushed their perfect all-time record over the Cyclones to 42-0. Individually, senior Viktoriya Lushkova notched her 94th career singles win to tie herself as the winningest Cowgirl since the inception of the Big 12.

No. 9 Oklahoma State 4, Iowa State 0
April 21, 2017 | Forker Tennis Courts | Ames, Iowa

Doubles | Order of finish: 3, 2
No. 1: Alvarez/Bonadonna (ISU) vs. No. 10 Babic/Tur Mari (OSU) 1-5, unf.
No. 2: No. 39 Bolsova/Blanco (OSU) def. Espindola/Freeman (ISU) 6-1
No. 3: No. 59 Lushkova/Adamovic (OSU) def. Phippen/Bender (ISU) 6-0

Singles | Order of finish: 2, 6, 1
No. 1: No. 7 Viktoriya Lushkova (OSU) def. Samantha Budai (ISU) 6-0, 6-0
No. 2: No. 65 Aliona Bolsova (OSU) def. Regina Espindola (ISU) 6-1, 6-0
No. 3: Erin Freeman (ISU) vs. No. 68 Vladica Babic (OSU) 2-6, unfinished
No. 4: Annabella Bonadonna (ISU) vs. Lena Ruppert (OSU) 1-6, 3-0, unf.
No. 5: Natalie Phippen (ISU) vs. Katarina Stresnakova (OSU) 1-6, 0-4, unf.
No. 6: Sofia Blanco (OSU) def. Liera Bender (ISU) 6-0, 6-0

Dominating the Big 12
The Cowgirls have arisen as a force in the Big 12 Conference over the last several seasons. Since 2013, OSU has won 37 conference matches, which is tied with Baylor for the most in that span.

Overall, OSU has lost only one conference match in the last two years. The last time the Cowgirls lost more than two conference matches in a season was 2013, before the Greenwood Tennis Center was opened.

The Cowgirls have made three of the last four Big 12 Championship matches, finally breaking through to win their first since 2003 last year with a 4-0 win over Texas Tech.

Home Court Advantage
Since it opened for the 2013-14 season, the Michael and Anne Greenwood Tennis Center has proven a tough place to play for Cowgirl opponents.

The Cowgirls have won 32-straight matches at the new facility, which stands as the second-longest streak in the nation behind South Alabama's 42 and the longest in Power Five women's tennis.

After an undefeated 18-0 mark at home last year and a 9-0 home start this season, OSU has racked up a 44-2 overall record in the facility over the last four seasons. A look at the numbers:

Season                 OSU Record at GTC
2013-14                6-1
2014-15                13-1
2015-16                18-0
2016-17                10-0
Total                     47-2

No Trouble in Doubles
Over the last two seasons, Oklahoma State has made a name for itself around the country for its strong doubles play. This year, the Cowgirls have won 21 of 24 doubles points. Over the last two seasons total, OSU has taken 54 of 58 doubles points.

OSU in the Big 12 Championships
The Cowgirls are making their 21st appearance at the Big 12 Tennis Championships. Seeded second for the seventh time in program history, OSU is will receive a bye in the first round, facing the winner of Thursday's match between Kansas and West Virginia.

OSU is 4-2 in Big 12 Tournament play as the No. 2 seed and 11-8 as a top-five seed. The Cowgirls are 24-18 all-time at the event.

Overall, the Cowgirls have advanced into the semifinals nine times and the finals five, with three of those final appearances coming in the Chris Young era.

Last season, in the Pokes' run to their first Big 12 Tournament title since 2003, Viktoriya Lushkova became the program's first Most Outstanding Player at the event.

Eyeing the Field
Five teams in the Big 12 appear in this week's ITA national team rankings. Aside from the ninth-ranked Cowgirls, Texas Tech (No. 7), Baylor (No. 15), Texas (No. 24) and TCU (No. 25) are also represented.

The Big 12 has three singles players ranked in the top 10 of the ITA rankings, including Baylor's Blair Shankle (No. 5), Viktoriya Lushkova (No. 7) and Texas Tech's Gabriela Talaba (No. 9).

OSU's tandem of Carla Tur Mari and Vladica Babic is the only Big 12 doubles team to be ranked in the ITA's top 10 at No. 10.

Overall, the Big 12 has combined for a 98-38 mark against other conferences so far this season.

Cowgirls in the ITA Rankings
The Oklahoma State women's tennis team came in at No. 9 in this week's national team rankings, released by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Tuesday.

Viktoriya Lushkova led the Cowgirls in singles yet again this week, slotted at No. 7.

Aside from Lushkova, four other Cowgirls represent OSU in the singles rankings, while four doubles teams remain ranked this week.

Senior Katarina Adamovic comes in at No. 49 in this week's singles rankings, followed by junior Vladica Babic at No. 69. Freshman Aliona Bolsova sits at No. 70 in the poll after three-straight wins, while senior Carla Tur Mari is slotted at No. 93.

In doubles, Babic and Tur Mari hold steady at No. 10 to lead the Cowgirls. Bolsova and sophomore Sofia Blanco come in at No. 50 this week. Lushkova and Adamovic currently sit at No. 63.

Super Seniors
The experienced Cowgirl roster includes three seniors this season, all of which have been major contributors to the growth of the OSU women's tennis program. Katarina Adamovic, Carla Tur Mari and Viktoriya Lushkova have combined for 252 singles wins, 274 doubles wins, three All-America honors and 10 All-Big 12 accolades while helping the Cowgirls to an 88-24 dual record (.786 win pct.).

Young Guns
While the 2016-17 Cowgirl roster boasts plenty of experience, the young talent that head Coach Chris Young has brought on board over the last couple of seasons is evident as well, especially with a pair of newcomers.

Freshman Aliona Bolsova (Spain) joined the Cowgirls this fall after finishing one of the most decorated junior careers of any signee in Cowgirl history, having been been ranked as high as No. 4 in the ITF world junior rankings with a number of impressive wins under her belt.

Freshman Lena Ruppert (Germany) has been ranked as high as the No. 70 player in Germany, while recording five wins against players in the top-50. Ruppert came to OSU this fall rated as one of the top-10 players under the age of 18.

Impressively, the Cowgirl underclassmen (Bolsova, Ruppert, and sophomores Sofia Blanco and Katarina Stresnakova) have combined for an 83-22 record (.790 win pct.) so far this season.

Five Cowgirls Earn Academic All-Big 12 Honors
Five members of the Oklahoma State women's tennis team landed on the Academic All-Big 12 first team, which was released Tuesday afternoon by the league office. It marks the second time since the inception of the Big 12 that five Cowgirls earned first team honors and the first time since 2000.

Viktoriya Lushkova, Carla Tur Mari, Sofia Blanco, Katarina Stresnakova and Vladica Babic each earned first team recognition. Lushkova and Blanco were two of only three players on the women's side of the conference to be nominated with a 4.0 GPA.

Tur Mari and Lushkova each appear on the first team for the third consecutive season in their careers, while Babic is on the list for the second-straight season. Sophomores Stresnakova and Blanco are being honored for the first time.

To qualify, student-athletes must maintain a 3.00 GPA or higher either cumulative or the two previous semesters and must have participated in 60 percent of their team's scheduled contests. First team members consist of those who have maintained a 3.20 or better GPA while the second team selections hold a 3.00 to 3.19 GPA.

OSU to Host NCAA Tennis Championships in 2020
The Michael and Anne Greenwood Tennis Center will host the NCAA Tennis Championships in 2020, as announced by the NCAA on Tuesday afternoon. The event is scheduled for May 14-23, 2020.

The Greenwood Tennis Center was unveiled in January 2014 with the indoor portion of the complex hosting its first varsity matches. The facility's twelve outdoor courts were opened later that year.

After a tour of the Greenwood Tennis Center, a tweet by the United States Tennis Association pronounced OSU's new complex as one of the top two collegiate facilities in the country. The organization later recognized the Greenwood Center at the 2016 United States Tennis Association Outstanding Facility Awards. It was the only collegiate facility to receive the honor for 2016.

Since its dedication, the Greenwood Tennis Center has hosted the 2016 Big 12 Championships, the 2014 ITA Women's Central Region Championships and the 2016 Men's ITA Central Region Championships. Last fall, the facility hosted the inaugural USTA Stillwater Pro Tennis Classic, which was the first USTA Pro Circuit event to be held in the state of Oklahoma in over a decade.

Both the OSU men's and women's tennis programs are trending upward under the leadership of Udwadia and Young since the opening of the state-of-the-art facility. Currently ranked No. 8 in the country, the Cowgirls have advanced to two-straight NCAA Sweet 16's, making their first-ever appearance in the national championship match last season. The Cowboys advanced to their first Sweet 16 since 2008 last year, and are on track to do so again as they hold a No. 5 national ranking.

Cowgirls Go International
The 2017 Oklahoma State women's tennis roster includes a variety of international flavors, with athletes hailing from eight different countries and three different continents. The Cowgirl roster boasts players from Serbia, Montenegro, Argentina, Spain, Ukraine, Germany, Slovakia and the United States.

Cowgirls Look to Defend Big 12 Tournament Title in Norman

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Players Mentioned

Katarina Adamovic

Vladica Babic

Sofia Blanco

Aliona Bolsova

Viktoriya Lushkova

Lena Ruppert

Katarina Stresnakova

Carla Tur Mari

Oklahoma State University Athletics