Oklahoma State University Athletics
Babic and Blanco Fall in National Title Match
May 28, 2018 | Cowgirl Tennis
WINSTON SALEM, N.C. – The Oklahoma State women's tennis tandem of senior Vladica Babic and junior Sofia Blanco came up short in the NCAA doubles finals on Monday afternoon, falling to LSU's Jessica Golovin and Eden Richardson.
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The Cowgirl duo battled, but couldn't overcome early breaks in the first and second sets, and dropped the match, 6-3, 6-2.
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The loss marks the end of an impressive season for Babic and Blanco, who finished at 31-9 overall with a 16-3 dual record. The two Cowgirls knocked off 16 ranked opponents over the course of the season, including wins over No. 7 Berg/Cline (South Carolina), No. 1 Fahey/Najarian (Michigan), No. 9 Pairone/Jeanjean (Arkansas), No. 18 Aney/Graham (North Carolina) and No. 21 Federici/Dvorak (Texas Tech).
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Babic and Blanco became the first OSU doubles All-Americans since 1991 on Friday with a victory No. 8 Gabriela Knutson and Miranda Ramirezon of Syracuse. The two Pokes also knocked off No. 17 Anna Danilina and Victoria Emma (Florida), No. 23 Lauren Proctor and Megan Kauffman (Winthrop), and No. 9 Ellyse Hamlin and Kaitlyn McCarthy (Duke) during their run to the finals.
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"This week has been amazing," Babic said. "On Friday, we did something that hasn't been done for our school in a while. We were just very happy and very excited. From there, we were happy to be in the tournament and we were playing really well. We've been working really hard all year, so the hard work paid off. The coaches dedicated a lot of time to us. We played great and were confident. It was a great end to the season."
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"I think our relationship off the court is very important," Blanco said. "That shows on the court because we know each other so well. We have a lot of fun and we enjoy every moment we spend together on the court. That was the key for us to be successful this week."
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The loss also marks the end of the illustrious career of senior Vladica Babic. The Montenegro product wraps up her time in Stillwater with 115 doubles wins and 95 singles wins, and is the seventh player in program history to reach those career marks. She has the most doubles wins and second most singles wins for a Cowgirl in the Big 12 era. Her doubles totals ranked third all-time.
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Babic is no stranger to deep tournament runs either. Last fall, she swept the ITA Central Region Championships, claiming the singles and doubles titles to become the second player in program history to complete such a feat. She was also a member of the 2016 NCAA runner-up team.
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NCAA Individual Championships Results
May 28, 2018 | Wake Forest Tennis Complex | Winston Salem, N.C.
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Doubles | Finals
Jessica Golovin/Eden Richardson (LSU) def. Vladica Babic/Sofia Blanco (OSU) 6-3, 6-2
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The Cowgirl duo battled, but couldn't overcome early breaks in the first and second sets, and dropped the match, 6-3, 6-2.
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The loss marks the end of an impressive season for Babic and Blanco, who finished at 31-9 overall with a 16-3 dual record. The two Cowgirls knocked off 16 ranked opponents over the course of the season, including wins over No. 7 Berg/Cline (South Carolina), No. 1 Fahey/Najarian (Michigan), No. 9 Pairone/Jeanjean (Arkansas), No. 18 Aney/Graham (North Carolina) and No. 21 Federici/Dvorak (Texas Tech).
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Babic and Blanco became the first OSU doubles All-Americans since 1991 on Friday with a victory No. 8 Gabriela Knutson and Miranda Ramirezon of Syracuse. The two Pokes also knocked off No. 17 Anna Danilina and Victoria Emma (Florida), No. 23 Lauren Proctor and Megan Kauffman (Winthrop), and No. 9 Ellyse Hamlin and Kaitlyn McCarthy (Duke) during their run to the finals.
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"This week has been amazing," Babic said. "On Friday, we did something that hasn't been done for our school in a while. We were just very happy and very excited. From there, we were happy to be in the tournament and we were playing really well. We've been working really hard all year, so the hard work paid off. The coaches dedicated a lot of time to us. We played great and were confident. It was a great end to the season."
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"I think our relationship off the court is very important," Blanco said. "That shows on the court because we know each other so well. We have a lot of fun and we enjoy every moment we spend together on the court. That was the key for us to be successful this week."
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The loss also marks the end of the illustrious career of senior Vladica Babic. The Montenegro product wraps up her time in Stillwater with 115 doubles wins and 95 singles wins, and is the seventh player in program history to reach those career marks. She has the most doubles wins and second most singles wins for a Cowgirl in the Big 12 era. Her doubles totals ranked third all-time.
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Babic is no stranger to deep tournament runs either. Last fall, she swept the ITA Central Region Championships, claiming the singles and doubles titles to become the second player in program history to complete such a feat. She was also a member of the 2016 NCAA runner-up team.
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NCAA Individual Championships Results
May 28, 2018 | Wake Forest Tennis Complex | Winston Salem, N.C.
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Doubles | Finals
Jessica Golovin/Eden Richardson (LSU) def. Vladica Babic/Sofia Blanco (OSU) 6-3, 6-2
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Players Mentioned
/ Cowgirl Tennis
/ Cowgirl Tennis
Friday, June 05
Friday, May 29
Wednesday, May 27
Monday, May 18
