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Cowgirls Win Thriller Over No. 14 Oklahoma
March 09, 2014 | Cowgirl Tennis
March 9, 2014
STILLWATER -
Oklahoma State's women's tennis team picked up its sixth win of the season on Sunday, knocking off 14th-ranked Oklahoma, 4-2, in front of a full house at the Greenwood Tennis Center.
"It was incredible," Cowgirl tennis coach Chris Young said. "This is what we dreamed about when we built the facility. The guys that were doing the commentating told me that it was the best atmosphere at any MatchDay so far. That's what we want. People at Oklahoma State are just realizing how fun tennis matches can be and what we can do here. Hopefully this is the start of something special."
Junior Karyn Guttormsen was the first to get on the board for the Cowgirls (6-5) after leading throughout her match to defeat Emma Devine, 6-1, 6-3. The Sooners responded when Mia Lancaster upended Cowgirl freshman Katarina Adamovic, 6-2, 6-4, on four.
Carla Tur Mari grabbed her seventh-straight win in a straight-set triumph over Abbi Melrose on five. After taking her first set, 6-1, Tur Mari fell down, 5-1, in the second. The freshman Cowgirl was not shaken, however, and won her next six games to defeat Melrose, 6-1, 7-5.
"I was so nervous," Tur Mari said. "The first set went really well. In the second set, I didn't really trust myself so I started playing too short. I saw Karyn won her match, so I started fighting."
The Sooners picked up another point after 98th-ranked Hermon Brhane of Oklahoma defeated Cowgirl Megan McCray on two in a three-set match.
Senior Kanyapat Narattana notched a win over Morgan Chumney on three to put the Cowgirls within a point of the Bedlam victory. Narattana dropped her second set after winning the first, 6-3, but outlasted Chumney, 6-4, in the third set.
"To be honest, I didn't play my best, but I couldn't lose to Oklahoma," Narattana said. "I didn't play my best, but I just thought `I can't lose today.' Jamea (Jackson) told me that I play with my heart more than my game sometimes. I couldn't really control it. I was tired and nervous, but I made it."
It was freshman Viktoriya Lushkova that sealed the victory for the Cowgirls with a win over Oklahoma's Whitney Ritchie in the top singles spot. After dropping her first set, 6-1, Lushkova rebounded to take the second set, 6-2. The match's final set came down to a tiebreaker after Ritchie tied the set at six. Lushkova and Ritchie traded points early in the match-deciding tiebreaker, but the Cowgirl freshman pulled away, winning four of the tiebreaker's final five points to clinch the Bedlam triumph for Oklahoma State.
"The beginning was very hard," Lushkova said. "I don't like to serve first, but I tried my best. I didn't start well, but I believed in myself, hit my shots and believed what Coach said. It worked and I won."
The Cowgirls will be back in action on Friday, March 21 when they open conference play against TCU in Stillwater at 5 p.m.
No. 39 Oklahoma State 4, No. 14 Oklahoma 2
March 9, 2014 | Greenwood Tennis Center | Stillwater, Okla.
Singles | Order of finish: 6,4,5,2,3,1
No. 1 - No. 108 Viktoriya Lushkova (OSU) def. Whitney Ritchie (OU) 1-6, 6-2, 7-6(4)
No. 2 - No. 98 Hermon Brhane (OU) def. Megan McCray (OSU) 2-6, 6-3, 6-0
No. 3 - Kanyapat Narattana (OSU) def. Morgan Chumney (OU) 6-3, 2-6, 6-4
No. 4 - Mia Lancaster (OU) def. Katarina Adamovic (OSU) 6-2, 6-4
No. 5 - Carla Tur Mari (OSU) def. Abbi Melrose (OU) 6-1, 7-5
No. 6 - Karyn Guttormsen (OSU) def. Emma Devine (OU) 6-1, 6-3
Players Mentioned
