Cowgirls Sweep No. 19 Arkansas to Advance to Third-Straight Sweet 16

Sunday, May 14

Stillwater, OK

1 p.m.

Oklahoma State University

Arkansas

Cowgirls Sweep No. 19 Arkansas to Advance to Third-Straight Sweet 16

May 14, 2017 | Cowgirl Tennis

STILLWATER – The ninth-seeded Oklahoma State women's tennis team swept No. 19 Arkansas, 4-0, on Sunday afternoon at the Greenwood Tennis Center to advance to the NCAA round of 16. The Cowgirls (24-5) will face No. 8 Georgia Tech in Athens, Ga., on Friday.

"I think we have a lot of experience with finishing as runners-up last year," head coach Chris Young said. This group is a veteran group with five girls back from last year, so they know what it takes. Nothing at this point is going to surprise them, so I think experience is going to play a factor and I think experience played a role in the match today."

Building off a first round sweep of UMKC on Saturday, OSU secured its third-straight NCAA Championships appearance with the win. The Cowgirls also finished off their home schedule with a perfect, 12-0 mark at home to bring their all-time record at the Greenwood Tennis Center to 49-2.

The Razorbacks battled, but the Cowgirls were ultimately too much to handle, as OSU pulled away late in doubles before tallying three straight-set wins to advance and continue their run through the national postseason tournament. In a storybook ending, senior Viktoriya Lushkova was the one to clinch the win in the final home match of her decorated career in Stillwater.

"It's awesome (finishing my career at home with a win)," Lushkova said. "I'm really happy and I was really glad that I was able to win for the last time in Stillwater. It was a great day for us."

Doubles play was tight in the early going, with both teams trading blows before the Cowgirls finally pulled away to clinch the point with wins on courts two and three. Tied at two apiece with the Arkansas tandem of Ana Oparenovic and Mia Jurasic on court two, Katarina Stresnakova and Aliona Bolsova won four-straight games to pick up the 6-2 victory.

"We're meshing very well, because I am also very good friends with (Bolsova) off the court," Stresnakova said. "I really love to play doubles with her because we both play aggressively. It's worked well, both yesterday and today."

Katarina Adamovic and Viktoriya Lushkova rebounded from being broken midway through their match to claw back from a 4-2 deficit and tally the 7-5 win over Natsuho Arakawa and Shannon Hudson on court three. The win was the pair's sixth-straight win, moving them to 16-2 together this spring.

"We knew the doubles point was going to be tough,"Young said. "Arkansas has been really good in doubles all year, and I think that's been a big catalyst for their success as a program. We knew that the doubles point was going to be a difference maker, and obviously it carries so much momentum…You have two seniors there that fell down a break, 4-2, and then they finished strong. I thought they stuck with it. (Lushkova) was playing on another level in doubles, and I thought it was really special to watch."

In singles, OSU got wins from Lushkova, Stresnakova and junior Vladica Babic to put the Razorbacks away.

Babic was the first Cowgirl to notch a singles point, as she handled Giuila Pairone, 6-1, 6-2, on court four to expand the OSU lead to two. Babic has quietly been a force for the Cowgirls over the last month or so, as she has won sixth straight, with all six coming in straight-sets. The win was also the junior's 20th of the season, making her the sixth Cowgirl to reach that mark this year.

"Vladi has been coming along all year," Young said. "I told her that I thought her level today was a level that could win the NCAA individual championship. She has raised her level significantly. There is no one that is playing No. 4 singles the rest of this team tournament that she can't compete with, and then I think she can do well moving on to the individual tournament. I thought the Arkansas girl at four was a really strong player, so for us to get that point really quickly was a sign that we're continuing to pick up momentum."

Stresnakova stayed hot as well, expanding her perfect string of matches this spring to 14 with a commanding, 6-1, 6-3 win over Mia Jurasic at No. 5. The victory moves the OSU sophomore to 23-5 overall this season.

Appropriately, Lushkova would close out the match in her final home bout as a Cowgirl, dropping No. 45 Shannon Hudson to clinch the Pokes' 16th sweep of the season. Lushkova was nearly automatic, overwhelming Hudson on the way to a 6-3, 6-3 triumph.

The Cowgirls will be looking for their second consecutive trip to the NCAA quarterfinals Friday when they take on the Yellow Jackets.

"It's going to be a great battle with them," Young said. "We played against them three years ago when a lot of these girls who are seniors now were sophomores. We have a lot of girls that have had matchups with them this fall too. Georgia Tech is having an unbelievable season. They won the ACC, they're well-coached and playing an hour from home, kind of like we did last year. It will be a good test for us."

No. 9 Oklahoma State 4, No. 19 Arkansas 0
May 14, 2017 | Greenwood Tennis Center | Stillwater, Okla.

Doubles | Order of finish: 2, 3
1. #13 Vladica Babic/Carla Tur Mari (OKST) vs. #28 Giulia Pairone/Léolia Jeanjean (AR) 5-5, unfinished
2. Katarina Stresnakova/Aliona Bolsova (OKST) def. Ana Oparenovic/Mia Jurasic (AR) 6-2
3. #70 Katarina Adamovic/Viktoriya Lushkova (OKST) def. Natsuho Arakawa/Shannon Hudson (AR) 7-5

Singles | Order of finish: 4, 5, 1
1. #7 Viktoriya Lushkova (OKST) def. #45 Shannon Hudson (AR) 6-3, 6-3
2. #56 Katarina Adamovic (OKST) vs. #64 Ana Oparenovic (AR) 5-7, 1-4, unfinished
3. #73 Aliona Bolsova (OKST) vs. #111 Léolia Jeanjean (AR) 7-5, 5-3, unfinished
4. #63 Vladica Babic (OKST) def. Giulia Pairone (AR) 6-1, 6-2
5. Katarina Stresnakova (OKST) def. Mia Jurasic (AR) 6-1, 6-3
6. Lena Ruppert (OKST) vs. Natsuho Arakawa (AR) 2-6, 6-4, 1-2, unfinished