Oklahoma State University Athletics
Photo by: Bruce Waterfield
Cowgirls Host Regional to Open NCAA Tournament Play
May 11, 2017 | Cowgirl Tennis
Postseason Guide
STILLWATER – The ninth-seeded Oklahoma State women's tennis team will host its third-straight NCAA regional this weekend, as Arkansas, Wichita State and UMKC travel to Stillwater to compete for a trip to the NCAA Championships next weekend in Athens, Ga.
The Cowgirls (22-5) will take on UMKC in the first round of the tournament Saturday at noon at the Greenwood Tennis Center. If victorious, the team will return to face the winner of Arkansas and Wichita State Sunday at 1 p.m.
Watch and Follow the Matches
Fans can catch all home matches online at okstate.com/watchtennis. Live scoring is available on okstate.statbroadcast.com.
About the Cowgirls
Fresh off clinching their second-straight Big 12 regular season title, Oklahoma State enters this weekend's NCAA Tournament first and second rounds at 22-5 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 22 of 26 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 58 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 six-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 14 sweeps in its 27 matches on the year.
Last Time Out
The ninth-ranked Oklahoma State women's tennis team nearly clawed back from an early 3-0 deficit, but came up short, 4-2, to No. 7 Texas Tech in the Big 12 title match Sunday at the Headington Tennis Center.
The Cowgirls (22-5) dropped only their fifth doubles point of the season and four first sets, but bounced back by forcing third sets on three courts. OSU would take the third set on one court and hold match point on another as senior Katarina Adamovic fell short in the third frame of an epic match against No. 62 Felicity Maltby to clinch the match for the Red Raiders.
No. 7 Texas Tech 4, No. 9 Oklahoma State 2
April 30, 2017 | Headington Tennis Center | Norman, Okla.
Doubles | Order of finish: 2, 1
No. 1: No. 30 Federici/Dvorak (TTU) def. No. 10 Tur Mari/Babic (OSU) 6-2
No. 2: No. 75 Talaba/Maltby (TTU) def. No. 50 Bolsova/Blanco (OSU) 6-2
No. 3: Valenstein/Cortina-Pou (TTU) vs. No. 63 Adamovic/Lushkova (OSU) 2-5, unf.
Singles | Order of finish: 5, 1, 4, 3, 2
No. 1: No. 9 Gabriela Talaba (TTU) def. No. 7 Viktoriya Lushkova (OSU) 6-4, 6-4
No. 2: No. 62 Felicity Maltby (TTU) def. No. 49 Katarina Adamovic (OSU) 2-6, 6-3, 6-3
No. 3: No. 70 Aliona Bolsova (OSU) def. Alex Valenstein (TTU) 2-6, 6-4, 6-3
No. 4: No. 69 Vladica Babic (OSU) def. Sabrina Federici (TTU) 7-5, 6-3
No. 5: Sarah Dvorak (TTU) def. Lena Ruppert (OSU) 6-0, 7-5
No. 6: Katelyn Jackson (TTU) vs. Katarina Stresnakova (OSU) 6-3, 5-7, 3-5, unf.
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 four of the last five 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 22 of 26 doubles points. Over the last two seasons total, OSU has taken 55 of 60 doubles points.
OSU at the NCAA Tournament
The Cowgirls are making their 18th appearance in the NCAA Tournament in 2017 and sixth-straight. OSU is 13-18 all time at the event with five of its wins coming in last year's run to the NCAA Championship match.
The Cowgirls have won at least one match in the tournament in their last four trips to the tournament, and have gone 8-10 all-time in first round matches. With a pair of wins this weekend, OSU will look to make its third-straight appearance at the NCAA Championships.
This weekend's matches would mark OSU's first postseason contests against UMKC, Arkansas and Wichita State.
Eyeing the Field
Two teams in the NCAA Stillwater regional are currently ranked in the top 20 of the ITA team rankings, with OSU coming in at No. 9 and Arkansas slotted at No. 19.
Along with the five ranked Cowgirls singles players, Arkansas also brings a trio of ranked players in No. 45 Shannon Hudson, No. 64 Ana Oparenovic and No. 111 Leola Jeanjean. The Razorbacks also bring a pair of doubles teams in No. 28 Jeanjean/Pairone and No. 40 Pairone/Hudson.
UMKC and Wichita State each earned automatic tournament bids after claiming their conferences' championships. UMKC knocked off New Mexico State to take the WAC title, while Wichita State dropped Southern Illinois to take the Missouri Valley Championship.
Cowgirls in the 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.
Viktoriya Lushkova led the Cowgirls in singles yet again this week, slotted at No. 8.
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. 56 in this week's singles rankings, followed by junior Vladica Babic at No. 63. Freshman Aliona Bolsova sits at No. 73 in the poll after three-straight wins, while senior Carla Tur Mari is slotted at No. 94.
In doubles, Babic and Tur Mari hold steady at No. 13 to lead the Cowgirls. Bolsova and sophomore Sofia Blanco come in at No. 48 this week. Lushkova and Adamovic currently sit at No. 70.
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 254 singles wins, 274 doubles wins, four All-America honors and 13 All-Big 12 accolades while helping the Cowgirls to a 90-25 dual record (.783 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 a 87-24 record (.784 win pct.) so far this season.
Lushkova Earns All-America Status
As announced last week, senior Viktoriya Lushkova will compete as the No. 8 seed in the NCAA singles bracket, clinching the Ukrainian product's third career All-America honor. The Cowgirl senior, who has racked up 21 wins so far this season, becomes the three-time singles All-American in program history.
Lushkova earned All-America honors in 2014 and 2015, becoming the first Cowgirl All-American since 1991.
Four Cowgirls Selected for NCAA's
Four members of the Oklahoma State women's tennis team were selected to compete at the NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships set for May 24-29 at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex in Athens, Ga.
Seniors Viktoriya Lushkova and Katarina Adamovic earned at-large selections in singles, while Vladica Babic is listed as the second alternate. In doubles, Vladica Babic and Carla Tur Mari earned an automatic bid.
Along with Lushkova's selection, Adamovic will look to best her 2016 run through the NCAA singles bracket, in which she took down No. 20 Sydney Campbell (Vanderbilt), No. 5 Ellen Perez (Georgia) and No. 15 Belinda Woolcock (Florida) on the way to the national quarterfinals to seal her first All-America recognition.
Tur Mari and Babic aim to cap off their 2017 season with an impressive postseason run as well. The Cowgirl duo, who has been ranked in the top 10 of the ITA doubles rankings most of the season, has gone 22-6 so far this season and 13-4 in the spring. The tandem already has a fair amount of tournament experience under its belt, after turning in an impressive run to the ITA Central Region doubles title during the fall.
Cowgirls Honored by NCAA for APR
A pair of Oklahoma State athletics programs have been recognized among the best of the best as it pertains to the Academic Progress Rate (APR) by the NCAA today. The OSU women's tennis program and the OSU men's golf program not only turned in a perfect APR of 1,000 during the 2015-16 season but also maintained a perfect 1,000 multiyear rate over the last four years.
The NCAA annually recognizes teams that finish in the top 10 percent within their respective sports nationally in the APR and in this year's recognition, OSU is one of six Big 12 schools who had multiple sports honored.
"I am proud that our program continues to excel on and off the court," said tennis coach Chris Young. "This honor reflects the commitment we have made to helping our student-athletes achieve success in every aspect during their experience at Oklahoma State."
Seven Cowgirls Earn All-Big 12 Honors
Seven members of the Oklahoma State women's tennis team have been selected to All-Big 12 teams, the conference announced Thursday. The Cowgirls earned the most first and second team selections of any school in the conference with seven.
In singles, the Cowgirls garnered two first team selections and one second team selection with seniors Katarina Adamovic and Viktoriya Lushkova taking first team honors.
Aliona Bolsova earned second team recognition for her season that has seen the freshman rack up a team-high 28 wins to only seven losses. The Spanish product's 28 victories currently sit fourth in the Big 12 era for singles wins in a season and the most by a freshman. She is the first Cowgirl freshman to earn All-Big 12 since Lushkova in 2014, and only the second since 2007. Vladica Babic earned second team honors as well.
All three Cowgirl doubles teams were recognized by the conference, as Carla Tur Mari and Vladica Babic picked up first team honors.
The tandems of Sofia Blanco and Aliona Bolsova, and seniors Katarina Adamovic and Viktoriya Lushkova were selected to the second team.
After turning in a pair of stellar seasons to serve up their collegiate careers, Bolsova and Lena Ruppert were selected to the All-Freshman team.
Five Cowgirls Earn Academic Recognition
Five members of the Oklahoma State women's tennis team landed on the Academic All-Big 12 first team, which was released last week 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
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.
OSU Live on College MatchDay
The Oklahoma State women's tennis team's matchup with Stanford on Feb. 17 was one of six matches broadcasted live on ESPN3 as part of the United States Tennis Association's College MatchDay program. The showdown between the Cowgirls and the Cardinal was a rematch of the 2016 NCAA Championship match, and took place at the USTA National Campus at Lake Nona in Orlando, Fla.
The Cowgirls are familiar with College MatchDay, as the team has hosted the program in two of the last three years. During its first year on the air in 2014, the MatchDay crew traveled to Stillwater for a Bedlam match inside the Michael and Anne Greenwood Tennis Center. Fans around the country were treated to an epic match in which then-freshman Viktoriya Lushkova defeated senior Whitney Ritchie in a thrilling three-set match to seal up the victory for the Cowgirls. The program was also in Stillwater last season to cover the Cowgirls' conference victory over TCU that would lock up a share of the Big 12 title for Oklahoma State.
STILLWATER – The ninth-seeded Oklahoma State women's tennis team will host its third-straight NCAA regional this weekend, as Arkansas, Wichita State and UMKC travel to Stillwater to compete for a trip to the NCAA Championships next weekend in Athens, Ga.
The Cowgirls (22-5) will take on UMKC in the first round of the tournament Saturday at noon at the Greenwood Tennis Center. If victorious, the team will return to face the winner of Arkansas and Wichita State Sunday at 1 p.m.
Watch and Follow the Matches
Fans can catch all home matches online at okstate.com/watchtennis. Live scoring is available on okstate.statbroadcast.com.
About the Cowgirls
Fresh off clinching their second-straight Big 12 regular season title, Oklahoma State enters this weekend's NCAA Tournament first and second rounds at 22-5 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 22 of 26 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 58 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 six-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 14 sweeps in its 27 matches on the year.
Last Time Out
The ninth-ranked Oklahoma State women's tennis team nearly clawed back from an early 3-0 deficit, but came up short, 4-2, to No. 7 Texas Tech in the Big 12 title match Sunday at the Headington Tennis Center.
The Cowgirls (22-5) dropped only their fifth doubles point of the season and four first sets, but bounced back by forcing third sets on three courts. OSU would take the third set on one court and hold match point on another as senior Katarina Adamovic fell short in the third frame of an epic match against No. 62 Felicity Maltby to clinch the match for the Red Raiders.
No. 7 Texas Tech 4, No. 9 Oklahoma State 2
April 30, 2017 | Headington Tennis Center | Norman, Okla.
Doubles | Order of finish: 2, 1
No. 1: No. 30 Federici/Dvorak (TTU) def. No. 10 Tur Mari/Babic (OSU) 6-2
No. 2: No. 75 Talaba/Maltby (TTU) def. No. 50 Bolsova/Blanco (OSU) 6-2
No. 3: Valenstein/Cortina-Pou (TTU) vs. No. 63 Adamovic/Lushkova (OSU) 2-5, unf.
Singles | Order of finish: 5, 1, 4, 3, 2
No. 1: No. 9 Gabriela Talaba (TTU) def. No. 7 Viktoriya Lushkova (OSU) 6-4, 6-4
No. 2: No. 62 Felicity Maltby (TTU) def. No. 49 Katarina Adamovic (OSU) 2-6, 6-3, 6-3
No. 3: No. 70 Aliona Bolsova (OSU) def. Alex Valenstein (TTU) 2-6, 6-4, 6-3
No. 4: No. 69 Vladica Babic (OSU) def. Sabrina Federici (TTU) 7-5, 6-3
No. 5: Sarah Dvorak (TTU) def. Lena Ruppert (OSU) 6-0, 7-5
No. 6: Katelyn Jackson (TTU) vs. Katarina Stresnakova (OSU) 6-3, 5-7, 3-5, unf.
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 four of the last five 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 22 of 26 doubles points. Over the last two seasons total, OSU has taken 55 of 60 doubles points.
OSU at the NCAA Tournament
The Cowgirls are making their 18th appearance in the NCAA Tournament in 2017 and sixth-straight. OSU is 13-18 all time at the event with five of its wins coming in last year's run to the NCAA Championship match.
The Cowgirls have won at least one match in the tournament in their last four trips to the tournament, and have gone 8-10 all-time in first round matches. With a pair of wins this weekend, OSU will look to make its third-straight appearance at the NCAA Championships.
This weekend's matches would mark OSU's first postseason contests against UMKC, Arkansas and Wichita State.
Eyeing the Field
Two teams in the NCAA Stillwater regional are currently ranked in the top 20 of the ITA team rankings, with OSU coming in at No. 9 and Arkansas slotted at No. 19.
Along with the five ranked Cowgirls singles players, Arkansas also brings a trio of ranked players in No. 45 Shannon Hudson, No. 64 Ana Oparenovic and No. 111 Leola Jeanjean. The Razorbacks also bring a pair of doubles teams in No. 28 Jeanjean/Pairone and No. 40 Pairone/Hudson.
UMKC and Wichita State each earned automatic tournament bids after claiming their conferences' championships. UMKC knocked off New Mexico State to take the WAC title, while Wichita State dropped Southern Illinois to take the Missouri Valley Championship.
Cowgirls in the 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.
Viktoriya Lushkova led the Cowgirls in singles yet again this week, slotted at No. 8.
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. 56 in this week's singles rankings, followed by junior Vladica Babic at No. 63. Freshman Aliona Bolsova sits at No. 73 in the poll after three-straight wins, while senior Carla Tur Mari is slotted at No. 94.
In doubles, Babic and Tur Mari hold steady at No. 13 to lead the Cowgirls. Bolsova and sophomore Sofia Blanco come in at No. 48 this week. Lushkova and Adamovic currently sit at No. 70.
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 254 singles wins, 274 doubles wins, four All-America honors and 13 All-Big 12 accolades while helping the Cowgirls to a 90-25 dual record (.783 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 a 87-24 record (.784 win pct.) so far this season.
Lushkova Earns All-America Status
As announced last week, senior Viktoriya Lushkova will compete as the No. 8 seed in the NCAA singles bracket, clinching the Ukrainian product's third career All-America honor. The Cowgirl senior, who has racked up 21 wins so far this season, becomes the three-time singles All-American in program history.
Lushkova earned All-America honors in 2014 and 2015, becoming the first Cowgirl All-American since 1991.
Four Cowgirls Selected for NCAA's
Four members of the Oklahoma State women's tennis team were selected to compete at the NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships set for May 24-29 at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex in Athens, Ga.
Seniors Viktoriya Lushkova and Katarina Adamovic earned at-large selections in singles, while Vladica Babic is listed as the second alternate. In doubles, Vladica Babic and Carla Tur Mari earned an automatic bid.
Along with Lushkova's selection, Adamovic will look to best her 2016 run through the NCAA singles bracket, in which she took down No. 20 Sydney Campbell (Vanderbilt), No. 5 Ellen Perez (Georgia) and No. 15 Belinda Woolcock (Florida) on the way to the national quarterfinals to seal her first All-America recognition.
Tur Mari and Babic aim to cap off their 2017 season with an impressive postseason run as well. The Cowgirl duo, who has been ranked in the top 10 of the ITA doubles rankings most of the season, has gone 22-6 so far this season and 13-4 in the spring. The tandem already has a fair amount of tournament experience under its belt, after turning in an impressive run to the ITA Central Region doubles title during the fall.
Cowgirls Honored by NCAA for APR
A pair of Oklahoma State athletics programs have been recognized among the best of the best as it pertains to the Academic Progress Rate (APR) by the NCAA today. The OSU women's tennis program and the OSU men's golf program not only turned in a perfect APR of 1,000 during the 2015-16 season but also maintained a perfect 1,000 multiyear rate over the last four years.
The NCAA annually recognizes teams that finish in the top 10 percent within their respective sports nationally in the APR and in this year's recognition, OSU is one of six Big 12 schools who had multiple sports honored.
"I am proud that our program continues to excel on and off the court," said tennis coach Chris Young. "This honor reflects the commitment we have made to helping our student-athletes achieve success in every aspect during their experience at Oklahoma State."
Seven Cowgirls Earn All-Big 12 Honors
Seven members of the Oklahoma State women's tennis team have been selected to All-Big 12 teams, the conference announced Thursday. The Cowgirls earned the most first and second team selections of any school in the conference with seven.
In singles, the Cowgirls garnered two first team selections and one second team selection with seniors Katarina Adamovic and Viktoriya Lushkova taking first team honors.
Aliona Bolsova earned second team recognition for her season that has seen the freshman rack up a team-high 28 wins to only seven losses. The Spanish product's 28 victories currently sit fourth in the Big 12 era for singles wins in a season and the most by a freshman. She is the first Cowgirl freshman to earn All-Big 12 since Lushkova in 2014, and only the second since 2007. Vladica Babic earned second team honors as well.
All three Cowgirl doubles teams were recognized by the conference, as Carla Tur Mari and Vladica Babic picked up first team honors.
The tandems of Sofia Blanco and Aliona Bolsova, and seniors Katarina Adamovic and Viktoriya Lushkova were selected to the second team.
After turning in a pair of stellar seasons to serve up their collegiate careers, Bolsova and Lena Ruppert were selected to the All-Freshman team.
Five Cowgirls Earn Academic Recognition
Five members of the Oklahoma State women's tennis team landed on the Academic All-Big 12 first team, which was released last week 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
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.
OSU Live on College MatchDay
The Oklahoma State women's tennis team's matchup with Stanford on Feb. 17 was one of six matches broadcasted live on ESPN3 as part of the United States Tennis Association's College MatchDay program. The showdown between the Cowgirls and the Cardinal was a rematch of the 2016 NCAA Championship match, and took place at the USTA National Campus at Lake Nona in Orlando, Fla.
The Cowgirls are familiar with College MatchDay, as the team has hosted the program in two of the last three years. During its first year on the air in 2014, the MatchDay crew traveled to Stillwater for a Bedlam match inside the Michael and Anne Greenwood Tennis Center. Fans around the country were treated to an epic match in which then-freshman Viktoriya Lushkova defeated senior Whitney Ritchie in a thrilling three-set match to seal up the victory for the Cowgirls. The program was also in Stillwater last season to cover the Cowgirls' conference victory over TCU that would lock up a share of the Big 12 title for Oklahoma State.
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