Cowgirls Handle Golden Hurricane, 4-2

Friday, April 6

Stillwater, OK

3 PM

Oklahoma State University

Tulsa

Marina GuinMarina Guinart Floridaart Florida

April 06, 2018 | Cowgirl Tennis

STILLWATER – The 10^th-ranked Oklahoma State women's tennis team earned it's third-straight win on Friday afternoon, knocking off No. 29 Tulsa, 4-2, at the Greenwood Tennis Center. It marks the Cowgirls' fifth consecutive win over the Golden Hurricane.

The Cowgirls (13-2, 4-1 Big 12) started in an early hole to open the match, as the Golden Hurricane took the doubles point with wins on courts two and three. Vladica Babic and Sofia Blanco picked up the lone Cowgirl victory in a 6-1 win at No. 1 over No. 86 Ksenia Laskutova and Martha Matoula. The victory marked the tandem's seventh-straight win and 10^th over a ranked opponent this season.

OSU bounced back in singles, winning five first sets and only giving up one match before rattling off four straight-set wins to secure the victory over the Golden Hurricane.

"The key about this team is how hard they compete," head coach Chris Young said. "We haven't been a great doubles team, which has put us in a tough spot in singles but the doubles point is just one point. Although it can be a big point, it's just a matter of perspective and we haven't looked at the doubles point as being as crucial. We know that even if we lose the doubles point, it's hard for teams to find three singles wins throughout our lineup. Energy is what we pride ourselves on and if we can't bring that, we're not going to be successful.

After Tulsa stretched its lead to 2-0 with a straight-set win on court six, Babic got the Cowgirls on the board with a 6-2, 6-1 victory over No. 73 Ksenia Laskutova. A winner of six of her last eight matches, Babic is now 9-6 against ranked opponents and 22-6 overall on the season.

Marina Guinart remained perfect in dual play with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Martha Matoula on court four to tie the match at two apiece. Guinart is 11-0 since the start of the spring dual season, winning 12-straight matches dating back to the fall.

Megan McCray won her eighth consecutive match in a 6-3, 6-4 triumph over No. 101 Martina Okalova at No. 2 to give the Cowgirls the lead for good and put OSU a point away from the clincher. McCray, who is a perfect 5-0 in matches against ranked foes, pushed her record to 12-1 on the year.

"I was starting to focus more (in the second set) on trying to get back to what I was doing in the first set and I got a little bit off track," McCray said. "I was able to get it back and with the help of the crowd I think I did pretty well."

Katarina Stresnakova clinched the win for the Cowgirls, defeating Tulsa's Tamara Kupkova in a 7-5, 6-1 decision that marked her second clincher of the year. Stresnakova has won 12 of her 13 matches this spring to push her overall record on the year to 23-5.

The Cowgirls will host their final two home matches of the regular season next weekend when TCU and No. 15 Texas Tech come to Stillwater for a pair of conference bouts. OSU will face off with the Horned Frogs at 5:30 p.m. on Friday before wrapping up the weekend at 1 p.m. on Sunday against Texas Tech.

No. 10 Oklahoma State 4, No. 29 Tulsa 2
April 6, 2018 | Greenwood Tennis Center | Stillwater, Okla.

Doubles | Order of finish: 3,1,2
1. #9 Vladica Babic/Sofia Blanco (OKST) def. #86 Ksenia Laskutova/Martha Matoula (TLSW) 6-1
2. Vera Ploner/Shura Poppe (TLSW) def. Katarina Stresnakova/Marina Guinart (OKST) 6-3
3. Tamara Kupkova/R. Van Rensburg (TLSW) def. Sami Court/Megan McCray (OKST) 6-2

Singles | Order of finish: 6,1,4,2,3
1. #23 Vladica Babic (OKST) def. #73 Ksenia Laskutova (TLSW) 6-2, 6-1
2. #36 Megan McCray (OKST) def. #101 Martina Okalova (TLSW) 6-3, 6-4
3. #107 Katarina Stresnakova (OKST) def. Tamara Kupkova (TLSW) 7-5, 6-1
4. #93 Marina Guinart (OKST) def. Martha Matoula (TLSW) 6-2, 6-3
5. Sofia Blanco (OKST) vs. Vera Ploner (TLSW) 6-4, 2-4, unfinished
6. Alexandrina Chinikova (TLSW) def. Sami Court (OKST) 6-0, 6-0