Cowgirls Edge Georgia Tech in Thriller to Advance to Elite Eight

Friday, May 19

Athens, GA

6 p.m.

Oklahoma State University

Georgia Tech

Cowgirls Edge Georgia Tech in Thriller to Advance to Elite Eight

May 19, 2017 | Cowgirl Tennis

ATHENS, Ga. – The ninth-seeded Oklahoma State women's tennis team advanced to its second-straight NCAA quarterfinals Friday evening, as freshman Aliona Bolsova clinched the match in an epic three-set win to put the Cowgirls over No. 8 Georgia Tech, 4-3.

With the win, OSU will make its second Elite Eight appearance in program history where they will face No. 1 Florida on Sunday at 4 p.m. ET. The Cowgirls are 1-0 in their only previous national quarterfinal match, as they dropped No. 4 Ohio State, 4-2, in 2016.

"Georgia Tech played amazing," head coach Chris Young said. "They played the best doubles that I've seen played against us in two years. They didn't miss a ball. They battled, and it took us competing with everything that we had. I don't think that we played our best tennis, but we competed really well and that's what I'm proud of."

After Georgia Tech ran up a pair of doubles wins on the first two courts to take the doubles point, the Cowgirls rallied nicely in singles, picking up four first sets right out of the gate.

Viktoriya Lushkova quickly tied the match with a dominant win over No. 48 Rasheeda McAdoo. Lushkova won the first 10 games of the match, shutting out McAdoo, 6-0, in the first, before racking up a 4-0 lead in the second. The Cowgirl senior would finish off McAdoo, 6-0, 6-2, to tie the match and tally her third win in the NCAA Tournament. Lushkova moved to 24-10 on the season, and notched her 11th ranked win of the year.

The Yellow Jackets quickly regained the lead on four, as Vladica Babic fell, 6-2, 6-2, to Kenya Jones. The loss snaps a hot streak from Babic, who had racked up six-straight wins prior to Friday's match.

The Cowgirls took their first lead of the night, thanks to a couple of straight-set wins on courts two and six.

Ruppert followed through for the Pokes on six, overpowering Georgia Tech's Luca Fabian, 6-4, 6-2, to retie the match at two apiece. With the win, Ruppert moves to 22-6 overall and 13-4 in dual action.

Adamovic quieted the largely Georgia Tech crowd with a 6-3, 6-3 triumph over No. 36 Johnnise Renaud to give OSU its first lead of the night. The senior showed heart, overcoming falling down a break in the early going of each set to rally back and win. Adamovic has been nearly automatic this spring, going 14-3 in dual matches for a 20-7 overall mark and five wins over ranked opponents.

The Yellow Jackets would respond on court five, posting a three-set win over Katarina Stresnakova to tie the match for a third time. Stresnakova battled back from a 6-4 first-set loss to Otsuka with a 6-3 win of her own in the second. In the decisive third set, however, Otsuka ran away with the match for the final 6-4, 3-6, 6-1 result, handing Stresnakova her first loss of the dual season.

As Stresnakova fell, Aliona Bolsova had just broken serve in her match against No. 96 Paige Hourigan to take a 4-2 lead in the third set. Bolsova and Hourigan would trade breaks yet again to bring the score to 5-3, allowing the freshman the opportunity to serve for the win. At deuce, Bolsova was able to finish, clinching the match and handing the Spanish product her 30th win of the season. Her 30-win total ties her with Linda Faltynkova for second-most wins in a season by a Cowgirl in the Big 12 era.

"It's always nice to close out matches," Bolsova said. "I know how much it means for the team to be here. I'm a freshman, so I'm still experiencing it for the first time, but for them I know how much it means. They were so close last year to winning the whole thing, so when I was in the third set and it all came down to me, I just thought of them and how important it is. I wasn't even nervous, just focused in."

"I'm proud of Ali," Young said. "It reminds me of Katie (Stresnakova's clinching win against Ohio State in the Elite Eight) last year. Ali was in this situation against Texas Tech in Lubbock when the crowd was against her. I remember her saying then that she would be ready the next time an opportunity like that came because that was a whole new experience for her. When I saw that we were up, 3-2, and had Katie and Ali left, I felt good. I feel good about every girl on our team. I was happy that she pulled it out."

The Cowgirls will aim for their second-straight NCAA semifinal appearance, while also searching for the program's first-ever win over the Gators this Sunday.

"Florida has been the best team all season long," Young said. "It reminds me of our (Final Four) match with Cal last year, where we play a team that has been ranked No. 1 all season long. They have been the team to beat all season, and there's no situation that we would rather have than playing Florida, one of the best teams in the country, in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament. We look forward to it, we respect Florida, but we're going to give them our best."

Doubles
1 #29 Kenya Jones/Paige Houriga (GEORGIA TECH) def. #13 Vladica Babic/Carla Tur Mari (OKLAHOMA STATE), 6-0
2.#23 Johnnise Renaud/ Rasheeda McAdoo (GEORGIA TECH) def. #48 Aliona Bolsova/Katie Stresnakova (OKLAHOMA STATE), 6-2
3.#70 Katarina Adamovic/Viktoriya Lushkova (OKLAHOMA STATE) vs. Luca Fabian Nami Otsuka (GEORGIA TECH), 5-3, uf

Singles
1. #8 Viktoriya Lushkova (OKLAHOMA STATE) def. #48 Rasheeda McAdoo (GEORGIA TECH), 6-0, 6-2
2. Katarina Adamovic (OKLAHOMA STATE) def. #36 Johnnise Renaud (GEORGIA TECH), 6-3, 6-3
3. #73 Aliona Bolsova (OKLAHOMA STATE) def. #96 Paige Hourigan (GEORGIA TECH), 7-5, 1-6, 6-3
4. Kenya Jones (GEORGIA TECH) def. #63 Vladica Babic (OKLAHOMA STATE), 6-2, 6-2
5. Nami Otsuka (GEORGIA TECH) def. Katarina Stresnakova (OKLAHOMA STATE), 6-4, 3-6, 6-1
6. Lena Ruppert (OKLAHOMA STATE) def. Luca Fabian (GEORGIA TECH), 6-4, 6-2
Doubles (1,2) Singles (1,4,6,2,5,3)