Cowgirl Tennis Set to Face West Virginia, Cincinnati

Match Notes (PDF)

The Basics
No. 33 Oklahoma State is set for its first Big 12 road trip of the season, with its first match against West Virginia at 1 p.m. CT on Friday before taking on Cincinnati at 11 a.m. CT on Sunday. The Cowgirls split their two matches last weekend, winning the conference opener against Houston, 4-0, before dropping a close one to No. 44 UCF, 4-3. OSU is now 7-6 on the season, with all seven wins coming against unranked opponents and all six losses against ranked teams.

Following the Action
Live scoring and streaming will be available for both of OSU's matches this weekend. Friday's match against West Virginia can be viewed at the following link: https://web.track.tennis/#/@public-cSte_vso_24/@public-cSte_vso_24/evt-N5uqFgTzEo0. Live scoring for that match will be available at https://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=573592. Live streaming and scoring links for Sunday's match against Cincinnati will be made available on okstate.com later in the week. Additionally, both matches will be featured as part of Cracked Racquets CrossCourt Cast on ESPN+.

In the Rankings
Oklahoma State appeared at No. 33 in this week's ITA team rankings and is one of 10 Big 12 teams to be recognized. Texas Tech (13), Baylor (15), UCF (23), Arizona State (26), Arizona (31), TCU (40), Kansas (49), Iowa State (59) and BYU (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. 20. In the individual singles rankings, Gracie Epps sits at No. 49 while Anastasiya Komar is at No. 81 and Marcela Lopez at No. 105. In the doubles ranking, Komar and Rose Marie Nijkamp climbed to No. 69 while Epps and Lopez sit at No. 83.

The Matchup
Oklahoma State is undefeated against both of its opponents this weekend, holding a 10-0 advantage over West Virginia while last year's win over Cincinnati serves as the only meeting between the programs. The Cowgirls have outscored West Virginia 56-3 in those 10 matchups, including 7-0 sweeps in each of the previous three. OSU also swept Cincinnati in the win last season, getting singles points from Ange Oby Kajuru, Safiya Carrington and Kristina Novak to go along with the doubles point to make for a 4-0 victory.

Phenomenal Freshman
Rose Marie Nijkamp has been a standout for Oklahoma State this season, posting records of 7-1 in singles and 9-2 in doubles to this point. The freshman from the Netherlands has been dominant, with all seven singles wins coming in straight-sets, including a 6-2, 6-3 win over No. 11 Emily Sartz-Lunde from Michigan. In doubles, Nijkamp and her partner Anastasiya Komar opened the season on a seven-match win streak while picking up two ranked wins along the way, and the pair has now climbed to No. 69 in the national rankings.

New Faces
Oklahoma State's new additions have made a big impact so far this season, accounting for 22 of the Cowgirls' 28 singles wins and playing a role in all 19 doubles wins. Georgia transfer Gracie Epps and freshman Rose Marie Nijkamp lead the pack with seven singles wins each, while Utah transfer Marcela Lopez and freshman Alian Zack have four apiece. Freshman Melisa Ercan made her Cowgirl debut last Friday against Houston and played at the No. 1 position in singles in both OSU matches over the weekend. She also earned her first win as a Cowgirl in doubles on Friday while playing with Epps on court three.

Notable Streaks and Trends
• Oklahoma State has outscored West Virginia 56-3 in the 10 meetings between the programs.
• Freshmen Rose Marie Nijkamp and Alian Zack have accounted for 11 of OSU's 22 singles wins this season.
• Oklahoma State has won the doubles point in eight of its 13 matches this season.
• Anastasiya Komar and Rose Marie Nijkamp are 9-2 in doubles this season on court one with two ranked wins.
• Oklahoma State is 7-2 on court four this season, with six of those wins coming from Nijkamp.
• Oklahoma State is 27-5 on court six since the start of last season.

Oklahoma State Wins Would...
• Improve it to 9-6 on the season.
• Improve it to 3-1 in conference play this season.
• Improve it to 3-3 on the road this season.
• Improve it to 9-0 against unranked teams this season.
• Improve it to 11-0 all-time against West Virginia.
• Improve it to 2-0 all-time against Cincinnati.
• Improve it to 278-118 in the Chris Young era.
• Extend its Big 12 road win streak to 10.
• Give it back-to-back wins for the first time since Jan. 25-26 against Clemson and Arkansas.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Safiya Carrington

Gracie Epps

Melisa Ercan

Ange Oby Kajuru

Anastasiya Komar

Marcela Lopez

Rose Marie Nijkamp

Kristina Novak

Alian Zack

Oklahoma State University Athletics