Oklahoma State University Athletics
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Cowgirl Tennis Set to Defend Big 12 Tournament Title
April 16, 2025 | Cowgirl Tennis
Match Notes (PDF)
The Basics
Fresh off its second consecutive Big 12 regular season title, No. 17 Oklahoma State will attempt to defend its Big 12 Tournament title in Waco, Texas, this weekend. The Cowgirls enter as the three seed and received a double bye in the quarterfinals. They will open play on Friday at 10 a.m. against Arizona State, Iowa State or Colorado, depending on results from the days prior. This is the ninth time in the last 11 Big 12 tournaments that OSU will enter as a top three seed, and the Cowgirls will be looking for back-to-back titles for the first time in program history. Oklahoma State finished the regular season at 18-6 with a 12-1 mark in conference play, and it enters the postseason on an 11-match win streak. Play began on Wednesday at the Hurd Tennis Center with four first round matchups, followed by four more on Thursday ahead of Oklahoma State's debut.
Following the Action
All matches during the 2025 Big 12 Championships will be broadcast on ESPN+ as part of Cracked Racquets' CrossCourt Cast coverage. Additionally, live scoring of each match can be found at the following link: https://www.statbroadcast.com/events/central.php?gid=b12
The Streak
After splitting its opening weekend of conference play, Oklahoma State has put together an 11-match win streak to propel itself into a three-way tie atop the Big 12 standings. During that stretch, the Cowgirls have not lost a doubles point and have outscored opponents 46-8, including wins over two of its potential first-round opponents this weekend in Arizona State and Iowa State.
In the Rankings
After two more wins last weekend, Oklahoma State moved up two spots to No. 17 in the ITA team rankings. OSU is one of 11 Big 12 teams to be recognized, joining Texas Tech (15), Baylor (21), UCF (22), Arizona (30), Arizona State (35), Kansas (39), TCU (45), Iowa State (59), Kansas State (62) and BYU (68). In the individual rankings, Anastasiya Komar and Rose Marie Nijkamp reached a season-best mark of No. 5 in the doubles poll. In singles, Komar came in at No. 74, while Gracie Epps appeared at No. 76, Marcela Lopez at No. 121 and Nijkamp at No. 121.
Cowgirls in the Big 12 Tournament
Oklahoma State will be looking for its fourth-ever Big 12 Tournament title (2003, 2016, 2024) and first consecutive championships in program history this weekend. The Cowgirls have reached the semifinals in 10 of the last 11 tournaments and 15 of 27 since the Big 12 began play in 1997. OSU is 15-8 all-time in the quarterfinals and 5-0 all-time in tournament matches against its three potential opponents this weekend.
The Title Defense
In 2024, Oklahoma State cruised to the Big 12 Tournament title, entering as the top seed and outscoring opponents 12-1 on its way to the championship. OSU opened with a 4-1 win over UCF, before sweeping Texas Tech in the semifinals and Texas in the final to claim the title. The Cowgirls made up the entirety of the All-Big 12 Tournament teams in singles and doubles, and Kristina Novak was named the championship's Most Outstanding Player.
Back-to-Back
With last weekend's wins over Kansas and Iowa State, Oklahoma State secured its fifth Big 12 regular season championships and back-to-back titles for the first time since 2016-17. The Cowgirls finished conference play on an 11-match win streak to end the season at 12-1 and tied atop the Big 12 standings.
CY Stands Alone
After this season's win over Utah, Oklahoma State head coach Chris Young stands alone as the all-time wins leader in program history. In his 16th year at OSU, Young secured his 284th win, moving him past Julius Lubicz-Majewski for the most as the Cowgirls head coach. Young accumulated the record total in just 402 matches, for a winning percentage of .706, and began adding to it with another win on Saturday. In his time in Stillwater, Young has led the Cowgirls to 12 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances while collecting an ITA Indoor National title, four Big 12 regular season championships, two Big 12 tournament titles and an NCAA runner-up finish in 2016.
Flawless Freshman
Oklahoma State' dual-threat freshman Rose Marie Nijkamp finished the conference season without a loss, going 10-0 in singles and 11-0 in doubles. The Netherlands native dropped just two sets during her 10 singles wins and has not lost a match since Feb. 7. In doubles, Nijkamp and partner Anastasiya Komar rolled through conference play and have reached a season-best ranking of No. 5 in the national doubles poll. OSU is 12-2 this season in matches in which Nijkamp wins both her singles and doubles matches.
Notable Streaks and Trends
• 11 of OSU's 18 wins this season have been shutouts.
• Oklahoma State has won the doubles point in 19 of its 24 matches this season, including the last 11.
• Anastasiya Komar and Rose Marie Nijkamp are 19-2 in doubles this season with wins in 11 straight.
• Rose Marie Nijkamp has won 12 consecutive singles matches, with all but two coming in straight sets.
• Gracie Epps is 9-0 when playing on court five this season, with wins in seven straight.
• Anastasiya Komar is 13-2 when playing on court two this season.
Oklahoma State Wins Would...
• Give it back-to-back Big 12 Tournament titles for the first time in program history.
• Give it its fourth-ever Big 12 Tournament title.
• Clinch its 13th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance.
• Give it at least 20 wins for the third time in the last four seasons.
• Extend its season-best win streak to 14.
• Extend its Big 12 Tournament win streak to six.
• Improve it to 21-6 on the season.
• Improve it to 3-2 on neutral courts this season.
Players Mentioned
