Cowgirl Tennis Returns Home to Open Conference Slate

Match Notes (PDF)

The Basics
No. 25 Oklahoma State returns home this weekend to open conference play against Houston on Friday at 6 p.m. and No. 44 UCF on Sunday at 1 p.m. at the Greenwood Tennis Center in Stillwater. The Cowgirls enter the weekend with a 15-match win streak in Big 12 play, dating back to the 2023 season. Three of those wins came last season against OSU's two opponents this weekend, beginning with a 4-0 road sweep of Houston followed by a 4-3 win at UCF and a 4-1 win against the Knights in the opening round of the 2024 Big 12 Championships in Stillwater.

Following the Action
Both OSU matches will be available to watch via livestream and can be followed online via live scoring. The match against Houston can be viewed at the following link: https://web.track.tennis/#/@public-9_6Kj2oq6bg/@public-9_6Kj2oq6bg/evt-HvIhR_GcvCo. Sunday's match against UCF can be viewed at the following link: https://web.track.tennis/#/@public-9_6Kj2oq6bg/@public-9_6Kj2oq6bg/evt-Le0JPAch0Pg. Additionally, live scoring of both matches can be found at okstate.statbroadcast.com.

In the Rankings
Oklahoma State appeared at No. 25 in this week's ITA team rankings and is one of 12 Big 12 teams to be recognized. Texas Tech (13), Baylor (14), Arizona State (23), Arizona (26), TCU (41), Kansas (42), UCF (44), BYU (51), Iowa State (54), Colorado (72) and Kansas State (73) were the other Big 12 teams to make appearances this week. Pepperdine, OSU's only remaining non-conference opponent on the schedule, came in at No. 28. In the individual singles rankings, Gracie Epps sits at No. 44 while Anastasiya Komar is at No. 88 and Marcela Lopez at No. 89. In the doubles ranking, Komar and Rose Marie Nijkamp are slotted at No. 72 with teammates Epps and Lopez one spot behind them at No. 73.

The Matchup
Oklahoma State is 8-1 all-time against Houston after winning the first meeting between the programs as Big 12 opponents last season. The series dates back to 1981, with OSU winning the first seven matches before Houston's only win came in 1998. The Cowgirls also lead the all-time series against UCF, 3-2, after getting two wins against the Knights last season. All five matchups between the programs have come since 2019, and OSU is 2-1 at home during that time, including a win in the first round of the Big 12 Championships last season.

Cowgirl for Life
Friday's match will serve as a homecoming for Houston head coach Katarina Adamovic, who sits among the greats in program history at OSU. During her four-year career in Stillwater, Adamovic was an All-American, a four-time All-Big 12 selection and led the Cowgirls to Big 12 titles in 2016 and 2017. She also led Oklahoma State to the national title match in 2016 and remains the only Cowgirl in program history to be named the NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player. Adamovic is in her first season as the head coach at Houston and joined the Cougars after leading Grand Canyon to unprecedented success in just two seasons at the helm, including back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances for the first time in program history.

New Faces
Oklahoma State's new additions have made a big impact so far this season, accounting for 17 of the Cowgirls' 22 singles wins and playing a role in all 16 doubles wins. Freshman Rose Marie Nijkamp has perhaps been the most impressive of them all, putting together a 5-1 record on the season while earning her first career ranked singles win last weekend in the match against No. 5 Michigan. Nijkamp is also 8-2 in doubles while playing with Anastasiya Komar on court one, and the pair continues to climb in the ITA doubles rankings, rising to No. 72 last week.

Notable Streaks and Trends
• Oklahoma State has outscored opponents 72-12 during its 15-match conference win streak.
• Freshmen Rose Marie Nijkamp and Alian Zack have accounted for nine of OSU's 17 singles wins this season.
• Oklahoma State has won the doubles point in seven of its 11 matches this season.
• Anastasiya Komar and Rose Marie Nijkamp are 8-2 in doubles this season on court one with two ranked wins.
• Kylie Collins and Alian Zack won both of their doubles matches last weekend against No. 5 Michigan and No. 9 Ohio State, outscoring opponents 12-5.
• Oklahoma State is 26-5 on court six since the start of last season.

Oklahoma State Wins Would...
• Extend its win streak in Big 12 matches to 17.
• Give it four consecutive wins in conference openers.
• Improve it to 8-5 on the season.
• Improve it to 2-0 in conference play this season.
• Improve it to 7-0 at home this season.
• Improve it to 9-1 all-time against Houston.
• Improve it to 4-2 all-time against UCF.
• Improve it to 132-19 all-time at the Greenwood Tennis Center.
• Improve it to 277-117 in the Chris Young era.

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Players Mentioned

Kylie Collins

Gracie Epps

Anastasiya Komar

Marcela Lopez

Rose Marie Nijkamp

Alian Zack

Oklahoma State University Athletics