Oklahoma State University Athletics
Oklahoma State University
Texas Tech *
No. 1 Cowgirls Set for First Conference Road Trip
March 05, 2024 | Cowgirl Tennis
Match Notes (PDF)
The Basics
No. 1 Oklahoma State will look to stay unbeaten with a pair of road matches this weekend, first taking on No. 24 Texas Tech on Thursday at 5 p.m. before meeting No. 37 BYU on Saturday at 12 p.m. CT.
Following the Action
Thursday's match will be live streamed on Cracked Racquets YouTube channel while Saturday's match can be viewed on ESPN+. Additionally, live scoring for Thursday's match will be available at the following link: https://www.statbroadcast.com/events/statmonitr.php?gid=text. Live scoring for Saturday's match will be available at: https://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=523114.
In the Rankings
Oklahoma State made it a full month at the No. 1 spot in the ITA rankings on Wednesday. In the singles rankings, Ange Oby Kajuru appeared at No. 4, while Anastasiya Komar came in at No. 7, Lucia Peyre at No. 54, Ayumi Miyamoto at No. 84 and Safiya Carrington at No. 89. In doubles, Komar and Kajuru checked in at No. 5, while Komar and Raquel Gonzalez appeared at No. 21.
Series History
Oklahoma State is 22-15 all-time against Texas Tech, having won four straight and six of seven against the Red Raiders entering Thursday. Saturday's match against BYU will be OSU's first against the Cougars since 2009 and the first between the programs as conference opponents. OSU is 11-10 all-time against the Cougars, but BYU has won each of the last five meetings and nine of the last 11.
Indoor National Champs
Oklahoma State captured its first-ever ITA Indoor National Championship in February in Seattle, Washington, putting an exclamation point on what has been a historic start to the season for the Cowgirls. OSU battled through a field that included 15 of the top 16 ranked teams in the country, going through then No. 14 Auburn, No. 10 Texas and No. 2 Stanford before taking down No. 5 Michigan in the title match. Head coach Chris Young and the Cowgirls took over the top spot in the ITA rankings after winning the indoor title and will now set their sights on an NCAA title run, which will be played at the Greenwood Tennis Center in Stillwater in May.
The Resume
Oklahoma State has exceeded what were already high expectations for the start of its 2024 season, producing its best start since 1981 at 13-0. Ten of the 13 wins have come against top-30 ranked opponents, with five coming against teams that were ranked in the top-10 at the time of the match. Going by the latest ITA rankings, the Cowgirls have beaten No. 2 Michigan (twice), No. 3 Stanford, No. 7 Texas, No. 8 Pepperdine, No. 9 Ohio State and No. 12 Auburn. The win over Stanford in the ITA Indoor National Championship semifinal was the first in program history against the Cardinal, snapping a six-match losing streak. The five wins over top-10 opponents are the most in program history for a season, and it took this year's team only nine matches to get there.
Receiving Recognition
The ITA Indoor National Championship All-Tournament teams were announced last week, with four Cowgirls gaining recognition. Kristina Novak was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player after going 4-0 in singles and 2-1 in doubles on the week, with two ranked wins in singles. Novak was also named to the All-Tournament team at the No. 6 singles position while Safiya Carrington earned the honor at the No. 4 position. As a doubles team, Anastasiya Komar and Ange Oby Kajuru were named to the All-Tournament team at the No. 1 position.
Notable Streaks and Trends
• Oklahoma State has won the doubles point in nine-straight matches and 11 of 13 on the season.
• In singles and doubles, the Cowgirls are a combined 18-7 against ranked opponents.
• Out of the No. 4 and No. 6 spots, OSU is a combined 19-3.
• Kristina Novak is 8-0 to begin the season and 4-0 against ranked opponents.
• After starting the season 0-2, Anastasiya Komar and Ange Oby Kajuru have won their last nine doubles matches from the No. 1 position.
Oklahoma State Wins Would...
• Give it 11 wins against teams ranked in the top-30 at the time of the match.
• Improve it to 15-0, its best start to a season since 1981.
• Improve it to 4-0 in conference play.
• Improve it to 3-0 in true road matches this season.
• Improve it to 23-15 all-time against Texas Tech.
• Improve it to 12-10 all-time against BYU.
