Cowgirl Tennis Heads to Tulsa
TULSA, Okla. – The No. 57 Oklahoma State women’s tennis team squares off against No. 32 Tulsa today at 2:30 p.m. at Tulsa’s Michael D. Case Tennis Center.
The match was originally scheduled to be played at the DeBois Tennis Complex in Stillwater, but has been moved to Tulsa due to potential inclement weather.
About the Cowgirls
Oklahoma State enters the match at 8-5 (2-3) and has won two of its last three matches. The Cowgirls are coming off a loss to Texas, but defeated Missouri and then-No. 65 Colorado in their two prior matches. OSU also had conference losses to No. 1 Baylor and Texas Tech before defeating CU. The Cowgirls, who had won three consecutive matches over Wichita State, Denver and ORU before their loss to Baylor, are ranked No. 57 in the ITA team rankings. OSU has also beaten No. 49 Utah, 4-3, Saint Louis, 6-1, and Central Oklahoma, 7-0, in 2010.
About the Opponent
Tulsa is the No. 32-ranked team in the ITA team rankings and enters the match with a 16-5 record in 2010. In addition to the team ranking, the Golden Hurricane also has athletes in the ITA singles and doubles rankings. Alexandra Kichoutkin is ranked as the No. 73 player in the singles poll, while she and JoAnne Karaitiana are the No. 21-ranked doubles team. Tulsa is on a three-match winning streak and coming off of a, 4-3, win at Marshall. OSU holds a 13-9 all-time series advantage over Tulsa, with the Golden Hurricane winning the last match in 2009, 4-3.
Last Time Out
In Oklahoma State’s last competition, the Cowgirls lost a tough match in Stillwater against the No. 36 Texas Longhorns, 5-2. OSU won a pair of singles matches and took two more to tiebreakers to determine the winners, but was unable to pull off the upset.
Cowgirls in the Rankings
The Cowgirl tennis team made its debut in the 2010 ITA team rankings on Feb. 12, when they received a ranking of No. 73. Oklahoma State has climbed consistently and has been ranked as high as No. 51, which is the Cowgirls’ highest ranking since March 2007. In the most recent ITA rankings, OSU received the No. 57 spot.
Up Next
After the Cowgirls take on the Golden Hurricane, they return home to face Texas A&M April 11.
Quoting Chris Young
On the match
“It’s another match against a highly-ranked opponent. We’ve faced some talented teams this year and they are a great team. We have a stretch of four highly-ranked opponents in-a-row that started with Texas. This is just an opportunity to show how far we’ve come as a program and it’s a great opportunity for the girls to face a good opponent.”
Updated 04-06-2010
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