Cowgirls Set Sights on NCAA Championship in Athens

ATHENS, Ga. – The ninth-seeded Oklahoma State women's tennis team heads to its third-straight NCAA Championships this weekend, as it travels to Athens, Ga. The Cowgirls (24-5) will open the week with a Sweet 16 matchup against No. 8 Georgia Tech on Friday at 7 p.m. ET.

If victorious, OSU will advance to face the winner of No. 1 Florida and No. 16 Texas A&M on Sunday at 4 p.m. ET.

Watch and Follow the Matches
The tournament central page, which includes links to results, quotes, live video and live stats can be found here: http://www. georgiadogs.com/sports/m-tennis/spec-rel/ncaa-2017.html.

About the Cowgirls
Fresh off clinching their third-straight NCAA Regional crown, Oklahoma State enters the NCAA Championships first and second rounds at 24-5 overall after posting an 8-1 mark in Big 12 action to share the conference regular season title. 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 63-17 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 24 of 28 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 59 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 34-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 16 sweeps in its 29 matches on the year.
?Sophomore Katarina Stresnakova has been on a roll this spring, winning 14-straight matches to remain perfect in dual action.

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 34-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 12-0 home finish this season, OSU has racked up a 49-2 overall record in the facility over the last four seasons.

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 24 of 28 doubles points. Over the last two seasons total, OSU has taken 57 of 62 doubles points.

OSU at the NCAA Championships
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 five trips to the tournament, and are making their third-straight trip to the final site of the event. The Cowgirls are 3-2 all-time from the round of 16 on, with each of the program's wins coming in last season's run.

OSU will be facing the Yellow Jackets for the second time ever in the postseason, with Georgia Tech taking an NCAA first round contest in a 2012 matchup between the two teams.

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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