Cowgirls Primed for Final Regular Season Road Trip

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STILLWATER – A share of the Big 12 regular season title is on the line this weekend as the ninth-ranked Oklahoma State women's tennis team embarks on its final road trip before the conference tournament. The Cowgirls (18-4, 6-1 Big 12) will face West Virginia on Friday at 5 p.m. ET in Morgantown, W. Va., before heading to Ames, Iowa, for a matchup with Iowa State on Sunday at 10 a.m. CT.

A pair of wins will give the Cowgirls a share of their second-straight Big 12 regular season title, while also clinching the team's third-straight 20-win season..

Follow the Matches
Live scoring for both matches is available on statbroadcast.com.

About the Cowgirls
Oklahoma State enters this weekend's conference bouts at 18-4 overall with a 6-1 mark in Big 12 action. The Cowgirls return five contributing letterwinners from a 2015-16 campaign that saw the Cowgirls post the best finish in program history, earning the title of NCAA Runners-Up. Last season, OSU racked up a 29-5 record on the way to earning the program's first Big 12 Championship in 13 years, thanks in part to a 9-0 conference record.

The OSU roster is headlined by three standout seniors in Katarina Adamovic, Viktoriya Lushkova and Carla Tur Mari. Adamovic is coming off an impressive junior season that saw the Cacak, Serbia native earn her first ITA All-American honor by way of advancing to the NCAA individual quarterfinals last summer. A two-time All-American and the 2015 Big 12 Co-Player of the Year, Lushkova has been a key to the Cowgirls' unprecedented success as well, racking up a team-leading 93 wins during her time in Stillwater. Tur Mari provided a major boost to the back end of the OSU singles lineup in 2016, going 22-8 in the No. 6 spot.

Also returning for the Cowgirls are junior Vladica Babic and sophomore Katarina Stresnakova. Babic tallied six victories over ranked opponents in 2016, including a triumph over No. 28
Kennedy Shaffer of Georgia to help push the Cowgirls to a win over the Bulldogs in the NCAA Sweet 16. The highlight of Stresnakova's first season in Stillwater came in the NCAA Tournament, when the Slovakia product took down Ferny Angeles Paz of Ohio State in the NCAA quarterfinals to clinch the win over the Buckeyes and push the Cowgirls in to the national semifinals.

Oklahoma State newcomers Sofia Blanco, Aliona Bolsova and Lena Ruppert have been key pieces to the Cowgirls' strong start as well, going a combined 58-17 overall in singles.

The Cowgirls boasted one of the most impressive doubles records in the country in 2016, winning all but one doubles point in 34 matches. That trend has continued this season, as OSU has taken 19 of 22 possible doubles points on the year.

Head coach Chris Young enters his eighth season at the helm of the Cowgirl tennis program after earning his 100th win with the program last season. Young is assisted by second-year assistant coach Matt Manasse and volunteer assistant coach Jaime Jaime Sánchez-Cañamares Rios.

Notable Streaks and Trends
?The Cowgirls have spent 55 consecutive weeks in the ITA top 25. The last time OSU was outside the top 25 was March 18, 2014.
?The Cowgirls have won 20 or more matches in each of the last two seasons.
?Since 2012, OSU has made five-straight NCAA Tournament appearances. That streak is the second-longest in program history behind a 10-year streak that saw the Cowgirls earn NCAA Tournament berths from 1982-91.
?OSU has won 32-straight matches at the Greenwood Tennis Center, dating back to March of 2015.
?The Cowgirls were impressive during the fall, racking up a 65-16 (.802) overall singles record and a 28-14 (.667) overall mark in doubles.
?That success has continued this spring, as OSU opened the 2017 dual season with 11 sweeps in its first 22 matches.

Last Time Out
The eighth-ranked Oklahoma State women's tennis team sent its three standout seniors off with a win Friday night at the Greenwood Tennis Center, recording its third-straight sweep with a 4-0 victory over No. 34 Oklahoma on Senior Day. The win marked the Cowgirls' fifth-straight triumph over the Sooners.

No. 8 Oklahoma State 4, No. 34 Oklahoma 0
April 14, 2017 | Michael and Anne Greenwood Tennis Center | Stillwater, Okla.

Doubles | Order of finish: 2, 3
1. #9 Vladica Babic/Carla Tur Mari (OKST) vs. #80 Julie Byrne/Malene Stripp (OU) 5-2, unfinished
2. #33 Sofia Blanco/Aliona Bolsova (OKST) def. Lily Miyazaki/Christiana Brigante (OU) 6-2
3. #54 Katarina Adamovic/Viktoriya Lushkova (OKST) def. Ann Selim/Simran Sethi (OU) 6-1

Singles | Order of finish: 4, 3, 2
1. #6 Viktoriya Lushkova (OKST) vs. #29 Lily Miyazaki (OU) 2-6, 2-4, unfinished
2. #61 Katarina Adamovic (OKST) def. Mimi Fotopoulos (OU) 6-1, 6-1
3. #57 Aliona Bolsova (OKST) def. Julie Byrne (OU) 7-5, 6-2
4. #64 Vladica Babic (OKST) def. Malene Stripp (OU) 6-0, 6-4
5. #101 Carla Tur Mari (OKST) vs. Ann Selim (OU) 5-7, 2-1, unfinished
6. Katarina Stresnakova (OKST) vs. Christiana Brigante (OU) 4-6, 2-5, unfinished

Dominating the Big 12
The Cowgirls have arisen as a force in the Big 12 Conference over the last several seasons. Since 2013, OSU has won 35 conference matches, which is tied with Texas Tech for the most in that span.

Overall, OSU has lost only one conference match in the last two years. The last time the Cowgirls lost more than two conference matches in a season was 2013, before the Greenwood Tennis Center was opened.

The Cowgirls have made three of the last four Big 12 Championship matches, finally breaking through to win their first since 2003 last year with a 4-0 win over Texas Tech.

Home Court Advantage
Since it opened for the 2013-14 season, the Michael and Anne Greenwood Tennis Center has proven a tough place to play for Cowgirl opponents.

The Cowgirls have won 32-straight matches at the new facility, which stands as the second-longest streak in the nation behind South Alabama's 42 and the longest in Power Five women's tennis.

After an undefeated 18-0 mark at home last year and a 9-0 home start this season, OSU has racked up a 44-2 overall record in the facility over the last four seasons. A look at the numbers:

Season                 OSU Record at GTC
2013-14                6-1
2014-15                13-1
2015-16                18-0
2016-17                10-0
Total                     47-2

No Trouble in Doubles
Over the last two seasons, Oklahoma State has made a name for itself around the country for its strong doubles play. This year, the Cowgirls have won 19 of 22 doubles points. Over the last two seasons total, OSU has taken 52 of 56 doubles points.

Series Notes: West Virginia
?Friday's match against the Mountaineers will serve as the fifth match in the series between the two programs.
?OSU leads the series, 4-0, with the last win coming last season in the form of a 4-0 sweep in Stillwater.
?In the four previous matches, the Cowgirls have been dominant, outscoring the Mountaineers, 21-1.
?OSU is 2-0 against West Virginia in Morgantown.
?With the series dating back to 2013, Chris Young is 4-0 in his career against West Virginia.

Series Notes: Iowa State
?The Cowgirls are a perfect 41-0 against Iowa State in the all-time series, which dates back to 1980.
?In that first match, OSU edged the Cyclones, 6-3.
?The Cowgirls are 17-0 all-time against Iowa State in Ames.
?OSU was victorious in the last match between the two teams, coming up with a 4-0 sweep in Stillwater.
?Chris Young is 8-0 in his OSU career against Iowa State.

Eyeing the Mountaineers
West Virginia enters Friday's matchup with the Cowgirls with a 4-13 record and still looking for its first Big 12 win of the season at 0-7 in conference play.

The Mountaineers have lost seven-straight matches, with six of those coming in sweeps. Their most recent loss came at the hands of Texas Tech earlier this month in Lubbock. West Virginia's last win came on Feb. 19 in a 4-3 win over Marshall in Morgantown.

Habiba Shaker figures to get the start for the Mountaineers at the No. 1 spot, going 8-5 thus far in dual action. Christina Jordan and Kaja Mrgole lead West Virginia in doubles, going 5-10 in the top spot.

The Mountaineers are led by fourth-year head coach Miha Lisac.

Iowa State from a Distance
The Cyclones hold a 15-8 record and 1-6 Big 12 mark coming into Sunday's match with the Cowgirls.

Iowa State has lost six straight as it looks forward to this weekend's showdown, with it's last win coming against UTEP in El Paso, Texas. The Cyclones' lone conference win came over West Virginia in a 4-2 home decision.

Samantha Budai leads the Cyclones with a 6-4 record in the No. 1 spot thus far. Budai and Maty Cancini will likely start in the top doubles spot, as the pair have teamed up to go 11-6 in dual action.

Iowa State is led by ninth-year head coach Armando Espinosa.

Record Watch
?Viktoriya Lushkova's .810 career win percentage in singles ranks second all-time in program history. She is the first player since Kate Vasylyeva in 2003 to break onto that list.
?With 93 career singles wins, Viktoriya Lushkova is currently second on the Big 12 era career list, and only one win away from sealing the No. 1 spot. She is sixth on the doubles Big 12 era list with 88 career wins.
?With 89 career doubles wins, Katarina Adamovic sits in fifth on the program Big 12 era career doubles wins list. With a .798 win percentage in doubles, Adamovic's doubles win percentage leads the Big 12 era list in that category as well, along with Vladica Babic.
?With 92 career doubles wins, Carla Tur Mari is currently the program's active leader in that category, while also sitting in second in the Big 12 era program record book. She is also fourth in singles with 88 career wins.

Cowgirls in the ITA Rankings
The Oklahoma State women's tennis team came in at No. 9 in this week's national team rankings, released by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Tuesday.

Viktoriya Lushkova led the Cowgirls in singles yet again this week, slotted at No. 7.

Aside from Lushkova, four other Cowgirls represent OSU in the singles rankings, while four doubles teams remain ranked this week.

Senior Katarina Adamovic comes in at No. 48 in this week's singles rankings, followed by freshman Aliona Bolsova at No. 65. Junior Vladica Babic sits at No. 68 in the poll after three-straight wins, while senior Carla Tur Mari is slotted at No. 89.

In doubles, Babic and Tur Mari hold steady at No. 10 to lead the Cowgirls. Bolsova and sophomore Sofia Blanco come in at No. 39 this week. Lushkova and Adamovic currently sit at No. 59.

Super Seniors
The experienced Cowgirl roster includes three seniors this season, all of which have been major contributors to the growth of the OSU women's tennis program. Katarina Adamovic, Carla Tur Mari and Viktoriya Lushkova have combined for 251 singles wins, 269 doubles wins, three All-America honors and 10 All-Big 12 accolades while helping the Cowgirls to an 86-24 dual record (.780 win pct.).

Young Guns
While the 2016-17 Cowgirl roster boasts plenty of experience, the young talent that head Coach Chris Young has brought on board over the last couple of seasons is evident as well, especially with a pair of newcomers.

Freshman Aliona Bolsova (Spain) joined the Cowgirls this fall after finishing one of the most decorated junior careers of any signee in Cowgirl history, having been been ranked as high as No. 4 in the ITF world junior rankings with a number of impressive wins under her belt.

Freshman Lena Ruppert (Germany) has been ranked as high as the No. 70 player in Germany, while recording five wins against players in the top-50. Ruppert came to OSU this fall rated as one of the top-10 players under the age of 18.

Impressively, the Cowgirl underclassmen (Bolsova, Ruppert, and sophomores Sofia Blanco and Katarina Stresnakova) have combined for a 78-22 record (.778 win pct.) so far this season.

OSU to Host 2020 NCAA Tennis Championships
The Michael and Anne Greenwood Tennis Center will host the NCAA Tennis Championships in 2020, as announced by the NCAA on Tuesday afternoon. The event is scheduled for May 14-23, 2020.

The Greenwood Tennis Center was unveiled in January 2014 with the indoor portion of the complex hosting its first varsity matches. The facility's twelve outdoor courts were opened later that year.

After a tour of the Greenwood Tennis Center, a tweet by the United States Tennis Association pronounced OSU's new complex as one of the top two collegiate facilities in the country. The organization later recognized the Greenwood Center at the 2016 United States Tennis Association Outstanding Facility Awards. It was the only collegiate facility to receive the honor for 2016.

Since its dedication, the Greenwood Tennis Center has hosted the 2016 Big 12 Championships, the 2014 ITA Women's Central Region Championships and the 2016 Men's ITA Central Region Championships. Last fall, the facility hosted the inaugural USTA Stillwater Pro Tennis Classic, which was the first USTA Pro Circuit event to be held in the state of Oklahoma in over a decade.

Both the OSU men's and women's tennis programs are trending upward under the leadership of Udwadia and Young since the opening of the state-of-the-art facility. Currently ranked No. 8 in the country, the Cowgirls have advanced to two-straight NCAA Sweet 16's, making their first-ever appearance in the national championship match last season. The Cowboys advanced to their first Sweet 16 since 2008 last year, and are on track to do so again as they hold a No. 5 national ranking.

Cowgirls Go International
The 2017 Oklahoma State women's tennis roster includes a variety of international flavors, with athletes hailing from eight different countries and three different continents. The Cowgirl roster boasts players from Serbia, Montenegro, Argentina, Spain, Ukraine, Germany, Slovakia and the United States.

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Players Mentioned

Katarina Adamovic

Vladica Babic

Sofia Blanco

Aliona Bolsova

Viktoriya Lushkova

Lena Ruppert

Katarina Stresnakova

Carla Tur Mari

Oklahoma State University Athletics