Cowgirl Tennis Set For First-Round Matchup With Auburn

Match Notes

The Basics

The Oklahoma State women's tennis team (11-11 overall; 4-4 Big 12) is set for a first-round NCAA Championship matchup against Auburn (12-8 overall; 7-6 SEC). The Cowgirls are coming off a loss to in-state rival Oklahoma in the quarterfinal of the Big 12 Championship. The Cowgirls and Tigers square off at 1 p.m. (CST) on May 7 in Tallahassee, Florida. If the Cowgirls win, they will advance to the second round, which is slated to take place on May 8.

Following the Action
Fans can follow along with live stats for Friday's match vs. Auburn at OSU vs. AUB: http://statb.us/b/350346.

In the Rankings
Oklahoma State is ranked No. 37 in the Oracle/ ITA Division I Rankings and Auburn is No. 19.

Series History
Oklahoma State holds a 2-1 all-time record against the Tigers. These two programs have only met at neutral sites. The last time OSU faced Auburn was in 2019, when the Cowgirls defeated the Tigers, 4-2.

Oklahoma State from a Distance
Oklahoma State is 11-11 and battle-tested as they continue the postseason, having faced nine top-25 opponents this season. OSU began the season with back-to-back victories over Missouri. The Cowgirls dropped three straight when they returned to action short-handed at the ITA Indoor National Championships due to Covid-19 contact tracing and return protocol. Following the Indoor Championships, OSU earned three consecutive victories before losing a pair of matches to Pepperdine and USC. The Cowgirls dropped its first three conference matches against No. 2 Texas and No. 11 Baylor, each 6-1. Next, OSU fell to Texas Tech, 4-3, in a match that came down to a third-set tiebreaker on court six. The Cowgirls responded to a slow start in conference play by sweeping TCU, 7-0, to earn the first conference win of the season and win number 200 for head coach Chris Young at OSU. OSU then dropped two straight, with the first at the hands of Oklahoma, 4-0, earning the Sooners its first Bedlam win since 2014. A day later OSU would drop a hard-fought match vs. UCF, 4-2. OSU finished off the regular season with momentum after two consecutive weekend sweeps starting with a pair of victories over Wichita State and Iowa State followed by a road trip to Kansas, where OSU dominated Kansas State, 4-0. Two days later, the Cowgirls took down Kansas, 4-2. OSU was defeated in the quarterfinal of the Big 12 Championships by Oklahoma, 4-0. The biggest storyline has been the emergence of Bunyawi Thamchaiwat who leads OSU on court one in singles action, holding a 12-2 record and has only been defeated twice in the last two seasons.

Streaks and Trends
• OSU won the last matchup against the Tigers, 4-2.
• OSU is 2-1 against Oklahoma, dating back to 2012.
• OSU is 11-10 all-time in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
• Bunyawi Thamchaiwat has four consecutive victories on court one.

The Cowgirls at the First and Second Rounds…
OSU enters the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2019 with last season's tournament being canceled due to COVID-19. The Cowgirls are 11-10 all-time in the first round of the NCAA Championship. OSU enters the tournament unseeded. OSU has never faced Auburn at the tournament. In recent seasons, OSU has found success at the NCAA Championship, earning a trip to the Sweet 16 in three of the last four years, including a trip to the national championship back in 2016. The last time the Cowgirls made the tournament was in 2019, when they defeated Central Arkansas in the first round, 4-0, followed by a, 4-3, victory over Miami to advance to the Sweet 16, where they were taken down by North Carolina, 4-2.

NCAA First and Second Round Schedule
Friday, May 7
Match 1: Oklahoma State vs Auburn – 1:00 p.m.
Match 2: No. 7 Florida State vs. Alabama State- 4:00 p.m.

Saturday, May 8
Match 3: Match 1 winner vs. Match 2 winner- 4:00 p.m.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Bunyawi Thamchaiwat

Oklahoma State University Athletics