No. 1 Cowgirls Set to Open Conference Slate

Friday, March 1

Stillwater, OK

6 p.m.

Oklahoma State University

Kansas *

February 28, 2024 | Cowgirl Tennis

Match Notes (PDF)

The Basics
No. 1 Oklahoma State will open its conference schedule this weekend, hosting Kansas on Friday at 6 p.m. and Iowa State on Sunday at 12 p.m. The Cowgirls enter 11-0, with 10 of the wins coming against opponents ranked in the top-30 at the time of the match.

Following the Action
Fans can view live streams of each match at the following link: https://web.track.tennis/#/@public-9_6Kj2oq6bg/@public-9_6Kj2oq6bg. Live scoring will also be available at the following link: okstate.statbroadcast.com.

In the Rankings
Oklahoma State remained at No. 1 in the latest ITA rankings, with its entire singles lineup appearing in the individual rankings. Ange Oby Kajuru checked in at No. 4, while Anastasiya Komar came in at No. 9, Safiya Carrington at No. 56, Lucia Peyre at No. 66, Ayumi Miyamoto at No. 84 and Kristina Novak at No. 114. In the doubles rankings, Komar and Kajuru appeared at No. 6 and the pairing of Komar and Raquel Gonzalez ranked No. 14.

Series History
Oklahoma State will meet Kansas for the 58th time in program history on Friday, holding a 40-17 lead in the series. The Cowgirls have beaten the Jayhawks in each of the last three matches and in 17 of the last 18 meetings. OSU is 45-1 all-time against Iowa State, with the Cyclones only win coming last season.

Indoor National Champs
Oklahoma State captured its first-ever ITA Indoor National Championship earlier this month 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 has exceeded what were already high expectations for the start of its 2024 season, matching its best start since 1981 at 11-0. Ten of the 11 wins have come against top-10 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 Stanford, No. 3 Michigan (twice), No. 6 Texas, No. 7 Pepperdine, No. 9 Ohio State and No. 12 Auburn. 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
The ITA Indoor National Championship All-Tournament teams were announced earlier this week, with four Cowgirls gaining recognition. Kristina Novak was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player after going 4-0 in singles and 2-1 in doubles on the week, with two ranked wins in singles. Novak was also named to the All-Tournament team at the No. 6 singles position while Safiya Carrington earned the honor at the No. 4 position. As a doubles team, Anastasiya Komar and Ange Oby Kajuru were named to the All-Tournament team at the No. 1 position.

Notable Streaks and Trends
• Oklahoma State has won the doubles point in seven-straight matches and nine of 11 on the season.
• In singles and doubles, the Cowgirls are a combined 18-7 against ranked opponents.
• Out of the No. 4 and No. 6 spots, OSU is a combined 16-2.
• Kristina Novak is 8-0 to begin the season and 4-0 against ranked opponents.
• After starting the season 0-2, Anastasiya Komar and Ange Oby Kajuru have won their last eight doubles matches from the No. 1 position.

Oklahoma State Wins Would...
• Improve it to 13-0, its best start to a season since 1981.
• Improve it to 6-0 at home this season.
• Improve it to 41-17 all-time against Kansas.
• Improve it to 46-1 all-time against Iowa State.
• Improve it to 113-18 all-time at the Greenwood Tennis Center.