Cowgirls Round out Perfect Weekend of Big 12 Play

Sunday, March 17

Stillwater, OK

1:00 PM

Oklahoma State University

Kansas State

Image Taken at the Oklahoma State Cowgirls vs Kansas Jayhawks Tennis Match, Friday, March 15, 2019, Greenwood Tennis Center, Stillwater, OK. Bruce Waterfield/OSU Athletics

March 17, 2019 | Cowgirl Tennis

Box Score PDF

STILLWATER –The Oklahoma State women's tennis team defeated No. 33 Kansas State, 6-1, on Sunday afternoon at the Greenwood Tennis Center to open the conference slate with wins over two ranked opponents. With Friday night's win against No. 10 Kansas, itt marks the Cowgirls' fourth consecutive season opening conference play, 2-0.

"Overall it was a good win today, following up a good match on Friday," Young. "Sometimes after a win on a Friday, you can have a letdown on Sunday. We made sure the girls were prepared with a good practice yesterday, and I thought they came out very strong today."

Strong doubles play set the pace early for OSU, with Catherine Gulihur and Sofia Blanco besting K-State's Margot Decker and Anna Turco, 6-3. The win marked the sixth this spring for the 21st-ranked duo. Katarina Stresnakova and Marina Guinart followed it up with a 6-4 defeat of Ines Mesquita and Karine-Marion Job.

Stresnakova won the first singles bout for the Cowgirls in a convincing, 6-2, 6-1, outing against K-State's Decker. It marked the Cowgirl's first singles win since defeating No. 36 Felicity Maltby (TTU) at the Blue Gray Championships last month.

Coming off a strong outing against Kansas, Marina Guinart, maintained the same level of play Sunday with a doubles victory and a 6-2, 6-2 singles win over KSU's Job. Tamara Arnold also notched her second singles win of the weekend in a 6-3, 6-1 bout to improve to 6-4 on the year.

Catherine Gulihur stepped in at Court 5 and defeated Mesquita, 6-0, 6-3, and moved to 5-1 in singles play this spring.

Sofia Blanco claimed the final point of the match in a three-set super-tiebreak victory over Anna Turco. The Cowgirl lost the first set, 7-5, before putting together a 6-2, 10-3 finish to claim the match

"It was a good weekend for us overall, to get conference play started with two teams that will no doubt have an effect on the conference standings," said coach Chris Young. "It's a good two-match start for us, and now we have to go on the road to Iowa State and West Virginia this weekend and keep moving things forward."

The Cowgirls are on the road for their next stretch of Big 12 opponents, visiting the Cyclones on Friday, March 22 before heading to Morgantown, W. Va., two days later.

No. 11 OSU 6, No. 33 Kansas State 1
March 17, 2019 | Greenwood Tennis Center | Stillwater
1. No. 21 Blanco/Gulihur (OSU) def. Decker/Turco (KSU) 6-3
2. Marina Guinart/Katarina Stresnakova (OSU) def. Job/Mesquita (KSU) 6-4
3. Thamchaiwat/ Arnold (OSU) vs. Gheorghita/Linares (KSU) 5-5 uf

1. No. 26 Katarina Stresnakova (OSU) def. Margot Decker (KSU) 6-2, 6-1
2. Maria Linares (KSU) def. No. 117 Lisa Marie Rioux (OSU) 6-3, 6-4
3 Marina Guinart (OSU) def. Karine-Marion Job (KSU) 6-2, 6-2
4. No. 124 Sofia Blanco (OSU) def. Anna Turco (KSU), 5-7, 6-2, 10-3
5. Catherine Gulihur (OSU) def. Ines Mesquita (KSU) 6-0, 6-3
6. Tamara Arnold (OSU) def. Ioana Gheorghita (KSU) 6-3, 6-1