Cowgirls’ NCAA Tournament Run Ends in Elite Eight

Sunday, May 21

Athens, GA

12 p.m.

Oklahoma State University

Florida

Photo by: Bruce Waterfield

May 21, 2017 | Cowgirl Tennis

ATHENS, Ga. – The ninth-ranked Oklahoma State women's tennis team's postseason run came to a close Sunday evening with a 4-1 loss to No. 1 Florida in the NCAA quarterfinals.

"For us overall, it was a good season," Young said. "For us to get back here again and advance to the Elite Eight was great. I give Florida a lot of credit. They played excellent tennis today, and I was disappointed we weren't able to give them our best match. I'd have liked to gone out with us playing a little bit better tennis, but a lot of that is credit to Florida. They're an exceptional team, and I wouldn't be surprised if they win it all.

"Our girls gave it all they had this entire season, and competed like champions. Today, even not playing well, I thought we still competed hard and dug deep. I'm proud of those girls, and proud of our seniors who have put us on a different level as a program over the last three years. I'm proud of everything that they have accomplished."

The Cowgirls couldn't overcome a slow start in doubles, as all three OSU tandems gave up breaks early in their matches. After Aliona Bolsova and Katarina Stresnakova came up short in their match on court two to No. 20 Brooke Austin and Kourtney Keegan, the remaining two Cowgirl doubles teams were able to pick up needed breaks to climb back into their matches.

Cowgirls Carla Tur Mari and Vladica Babic broke No. 11 Anna Danilina and Igrid Neel's serve on one, and eventually held to jump up, 6-5; however, soon after Tur Mari and Babic snagged the lead, seniors Katarina Adamovic and Viktoriya Lushkova were broken on one, giving the 6-4 win to the 45^th-ranked Florida team of Josie Kuhlman and Belinda Woolcock, and clinching the doubles point for the Gators.

In singles, the Cowgirls were faced with a tough Florida lineup that took four of the match's six first sets and put the Pokes in a deeper hole. It wasn't long before OSU saw the Gator advantage expand to 3-0, as Florida tallied straight-set wins on courts two and five.

Stresnakova dropped only her second dual match of the season, falling, 6-2, 6-3, to Brooke Austin at No. 5. Adamovic fell, 6-1, 6-1, on line two to No. 23 Josie Kuhlman for the third Gator point.

Aliona Bolsova put the Cowgirls on the board with a 7-5, 6-3 victory over No. 31 ingrid Neel to cut the deficit to 3-1. The match wraps up an outstanding freshman campaign for Bolsova, that saw the Spanish product rack up 31 singles wins, which is the most by an OSU freshman in the Big 12 era and second most of any Big 12 era Cowgirl.

Florida would seal the match on four, as No. 44 Anna Danilina defeated junior Vladica Babic, 6-4, 6-4, to put the Cowgirls away.

The Cowgirls wrap up a successful season that saw the team post a 25-6 overall record for its third-straight 20-win season and second consecutive season of 25 wins or more. OSU followed up its third-straight NCAA Regional title with a 4-3 victory over No.8 Georgia Tech on Friday night to clinch the squad's second Elite Eight appearance in as many years.

The team went 8-1 in Big 12 play in 2017 for a share of its second-straight regular season conference championship. At the Big 12 Tournament, the Cowgirls ran off wins over Kansas and No. 15 Baylor to advance to their fourth conference championship match in the last five years.

The loss marks the last dual match of seniors Katarina Adamovic, Carla Tur Mari and Viktoriya Lushkova's careers. Combining for 258 singles wins, 277 doubles wins, four All-America honors and 13 All-Big 12 accolades while helping the Cowgirls to a 93-26 overall record, the trio has cemented itself as one of the greatest senior classes in program history and has left an imprint on OSU tennis that won't soon be forgotten.

The season is not over, however, for all three Cowgirl seniors and junior Vladica Babic, who will compete in the NCAA Individual Championships beginning on Thursday. Katarina Adamovic will be looking for her second All-America recognition, while Tur Mari and Babic are each in search of their first. Seeded eighth overall in the singles bracket, Lushkova has already clinched her third career All-America honor in singles, becoming the first Cowgirl in program history to accomplish that feat.

"It's exciting that this wasn't our seniors' last match," Young said. "They get to compete in the individual championships. Obviously, we had big goals as a team, and this was a disappointment, but they don't have to end it this way. They have a chance to determine how their season and career ends with how they finish. I know they'll finish strong. They'll finish as champions and as Cowgirls, and that's all we can expect."

All four Cowgirls will be looking for the program's first individual national title. More info on the event can be found here.

Doubles
1. #11 Anna Danilina/Ingrid Neel (FLORIDA) vs. #13 Vladica Babic/Carla Tur Mari (OKLAHOMA STATE), 5-6
2.#20 Brooke Austin/Kourtney Keegan (FLORIDA) def. #48 Aliona Bolsova/Katie Stresnakova (OKLAHOMA STATE), 6-2
3.#45 Josie Kuhlman/Belina Woolcock (FLORIDA) def. #70 Katarina Adamovic/Viktoriya Lushkova (OKLAHOMA STATE), 6-4

Singles
1. #6 Belinda Woolcock (FLORIDA) vs. #8 Viktoriya Lushkova (OKLAHOMA STATE), 2-6, 5-2, uf
2. #23 Josie Kuhlman (FLORIDA) def. Katarina Adamovic (OKLAHOMA STATE), 6-1, 6-1
3. #73 Aliona Bolsova (OKLAHOMA STATE) def. #31 Ingrid Neel (FLORIDA), 7-5, 6-3
4. #44 Anna Danilina (FLORIDA) def. #63 Vladica Babic (OKLAHOMA STATE), 6-4, 6-4
5. Brooke Austin (FLORIDA) def. Katarina Stresnakova (OKLAHOMA STATE), 6-2, 6-3
6. #59 Kourtney Keegan (FLORIDA) vs. Lena Ruppert (OKLAHOMA STATE), 6-2, 5-7, uf
Doubles (2,3) Singles (5,2,3,4)