Oklahoma State University Athletics
Oklahoma State University
Arizona State *
No. 1 Cowgirls Set to Face No. 25 Arizona State
February 15, 2024 | Cowgirl Tennis
Match Notes (PDF)
The Basics
Coming off its first-ever ITA Indoor National Championship, No. 1 Oklahoma State will travel to Tempe, Arizona, to take on No. 25 Arizona State on Saturday. It will be the Cowgirls' ninth match against a ranked opponent already this season, having won each of the first eight.
Following the Action
Fans can follow along with the match through live scoring at the following link: https://sidearmstats.com/asu/wten/. There will be no live streaming available for this weekend's match.
In the Rankings
Oklahoma State appeared at No. 1 in the latest ITA rankings for the first time in program history. After the ITA Indoor National Championships, the Cowgirls have wins over No. 2 Michigan (twice), No. 3 Stanford, No. 6 Texas, No. 9 Ohio State, No. 10 Pepperdine, No. 12 Auburn and No. 18 UCLA. This weekend, OSU takes on No. 25 Arizona State on the road looking to add to its already-impressive resume.
Series History
This will be the eighth all-time meeting between the two future conference foes, with Oklahoma State leading the series 5-2. Saturday will be the first time the teams have met in Tempe as the first five matches were played at neutral sites before the most previous two were played in Stillwater. This will be just the fourth match between the programs since the 1980's, and OSU has won four in a row entering Saturday.
Indoor National Champs
Oklahoma State captured its first-ever ITA Indoor National Championship last weekend 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 exceeded what were already high expectations for the start of its 2024 season, matching its best start since 1987 at 9-0. Eight of the nine wins have come against 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. 6 Texas, No. 9 Ohio State, No. 10 Pepperdine, No. 12 Auburn and No. 18 UCLA. 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
Safiya Carrington became the fourth Cowgirl this season to earn Big 12 Player of the Week honors on Tuesday, joining Anastasiya Komar, Lucia Peyre and Raquel Gonzalez. Carrington went 3-1 in singles and 2-1 in doubles at the ITA Indoor National Championships, collecting three ranked singles victories and clinching the wins over No. 14 Auburn and No. 10 Texas for the Cowgirls.
Notable Streaks and Trends
• Oklahoma State has won the doubles point in five-straight matches and seven of nine on the season.
• In singles and doubles, the Cowgirls are a combined 17-7 against ranked opponents.
• Out of the No. 4 and No. 6 spots, OSU is a combined 13-2.
• Kristina Novak is 7-0 to begin the season and 4-0 against ranked opponents, all out of the No. 6 spot.
• After starting the season 0-2, Anastasiya Komar and Ange Oby Kajuru have won their last six doubles matches from the No. 1 position.
An Oklahoma State Win Would...
• Improve it to 10-0, its best start to a season since 1986.
• Give it nine wins over top-25 ranked opponents, its most in a season in program history.
• Be its first in program history as the No. 1 ranked team nationally.
• Be Chris Young's 250th win at Oklahoma State.
Players Mentioned
