Oklahoma State University Athletics
Oklahoma State University
Michigan
Cowgirl Tennis Set for NCAA Championships
May 13, 2025 | Cowgirl Tennis
Match Notes (PDF)
The Basics
No. 20 Oklahoma State is set to compete in the Elite 8 for the first time since 2017 when it takes on No. 3 Michigan on Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Hurd Tennis Center in Waco, Texas. Should the Cowgirls win their quarterfinal match, they would play a semifinal on Saturday at 1 p.m. with the national championship scheduled for Sunday at 1 p.m. OSU arrives to Waco having won 15 of its last 16 matches, including a 4-3 thriller over No. 25 Stanford in Stillwater last Saturday. This is the third time in the Chirs Young era that Oklahoma State has reached the NCAA quarterfinals, as they did so in back-to-back seasons in 2016-17. A win over Michigan would advance it to the Final Four for only the second time in program history, with the other coming in 2016 when the Cowgirls reached the NCAA final. Thursday's match will be the fourth meeting between OSU and Michigan since the start of last season, with the Cowgirls winning both in 2024 before Michigan got a 4-2 win in Ann Arbor in February.
Following the Action
All matches during the final three rounds of the NCAA Tournament will be broadcast on ESPN+ as part of Cracked Racquets CrossCourt Cast coverage. Additionally, live scoring will be available at the following link: https://ioncourt.com/leagues/2025-ncaa-di-womens-tennis-team-championship
In the Rankings
Oklahoma State entered the NCAA Tournament at No. 20 in the ITA rankings after a semifinal run at the Big 12 Championships. OSU was one of 11 Big 12 teams to be recognized, joining Texas Tech (12), UCF (21), Baylor (22), Arizona (30), Arizona State (35), Kansas (40), TCU (46), BYU (62), Iowa State (65) and Kansas State (67). In the individual rankings, Anastasiya Komar and Rose Marie Nijkamp remained in the top 10 at No. 6 in the doubles poll. In singles, Gracie Epps came in at No. 77, while Komar appeared at No. 84, Rose Marie Nijkamp moved up to No. 115 and Marcela Lopez checked in at No. 125.
The Matchup
Five of the six all-time meetings between Oklahoma State and Michigan have come in the last three seasons. This will be the third year in a row that the programs will meet twice in the span of a season, with the Wolverines sweeping both matches in 2023 before the Cowgirls returned the favor in 2024. Michigan evened the series at three with a win 4-2 on Feb. 21 in Ann Arbor. In that match, the OSU won the doubles point and got a win on court four from Rose Marie Nijkamp, but Michigan wins on courts one, two, three and five earned it the victory. This will be the first-ever meeting between the programs in the NCAA Tournament as Oklahoma State looks for its first win over a top three ranked opponent since it beat No. 3 Michigan in the ITA Indoor National Championship match last season.
The Tournament Rundown
In its 13th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance, OSU is in the Elite 8 for the sixth time in program history and first time since 2017. With its win over No. 25 Stanford, Oklahoma State became the first unseeded team to reach the NCAA quarterfinals since 2021. A win against No. 3 Michigan would advance the Cowgirls to the Final Four for the second time in program history, with the only other instance coming in 2016 when OSU reached the NCAA final.
The Path to Waco
Oklahoma State's win over No. 6 Oklahoma in the second round was its biggest upset in the NCAA Tournament since it beat top seeded California in the semifinals in 2016. The Cowgirls got the win despite losing the doubles point, marking the first time they've done so this season, and it was their first win over a top-10 ranked opponent this season, snapping a three-match losing streak. OSU followed that by getting its first-ever NCAA Tournament win over Stanford after having lost the three previous meetings. The win sent the Cowgirls to the NCAA quarterfinals for the sixth time in program history and first time since 2017.
Notable Streaks and Trends
• 12 of OSU's 22 wins this season have been shutouts.
• Oklahoma State is 21-1 when it wins the doubles point this season.
• Oklahoma State has won the doubles point in 22 of its 29 matches this season, including 14 of the last 16.
• Anastasiya Komar and Rose Marie Nijkamp are 21-3 in doubles this season with wins in 13 of their last 14.
• Rose Marie Nijkamp has won 16 consecutive singles matches, with all but three coming in straight sets.
• Gracie Epps is 13-0 when playing on court five this season and has won 11 consecutive matches.
• Anastasiya Komar is 17-3 when playing on court two this season with wins in eight of nine and 13 of 15.
Oklahoma State Wins Would...
• Give it the university's 54th NCAA Championship.
• Make it the first women's program to win an NCAA Championship in school history.
• Make it the third Big 12 team to win the NCAA Championship in the last five years (Texas, 2021 & 2022).
• Finish its season at 25-7, reaching at least 25 wins for the fourth time in the Chris Young era.
• Give it wins in 18 of its last 19 matches to finish the season.
• Improve its record in the NCAA Tournament to 32-25.
• Improve its record in the NCAA Tournament under Chris Young to 28-12.
• Improve it to 5-3 on neutral courts this season.
• Improve it to 4-3 all-time against Michigan.
Players Mentioned
