The Basics
Oklahoma State's women's tennis team (16-3 overall; 7-1 Big 12) welcomes a pair of top-five opponents to Still- water this weekend, highlighted by a Bedlam showdown with No. 2 Oklahoma (23-1 overall; 8-0 Big 12) before taking on No. 5 Pepperdine (17-4 overall; 6-0 West Coast Conference). The Cowgirls and Sooners square off at 4 p.m. on Friday. OSU then hosts Pepperdine on Saturday following the men’s match, which starts at noon.
Following the Action
Both matches can be viewed at this link: https://okstate.com/sports/2016/2/22/TENNIS_VIDEO.aspx. Fans can also follow along with live stats at okstate.statbroadcast. com.
In the Rankings
Oklahoma State's women's tennis team checked in at No. 12 in the latest ITA Top 25 rankings. This marks the 12th consecutive week the Cowgirls have appeared in the top 25 poll. In addition to the team rankings, four Cowgirls were ranked in the ITA Tennis Division I women's tennis rankings. The national rankings feature the top 125 singles players and the top 60 doubles teams in the country. Cowgirl Veteran Lisa Marie Rioux earned the highest singles ranking of any Cowgirl as she landed at No. 27, while freshman Mhai Sawangkaew checked in at No. 51. Two Cowgirl duos earned a spot in the top 60, including the dominant court one tandem of Ayumi Miyamoto and Lisa Marie Rioux, who rose five spots to No. 14. Mhai Sawangkaew and Martina Zerulo are the 52nd-ranked duo in the nation.
Series History
Oklahoma State holds a 40-21 all-time lead in the Bedlam series against Oklahoma. Against Pepperdine, the Cowgirls are 4-3 all time. The Cowgirls have won eight of the last 10 meetings against the Sooners.
Oklahoma State From a Distance
OSU is fresh off back-to-back conference road victories which extended its winning streak to five. The Cowgirls closed out their road stand Sunday, gutting out a win against No. 26 Iowa State in Ames, 4-3. Two days before, OSU put on a show in a dominating performance sweeping West Virginia in Morgantown, 7-0, notching the squad's eighth sweep of the season. Last week- end’s matches marked the second consecutive road weekend for the Cowgirls, as OSU faced Texas Tech on a windy evening in Lubbock, but that didn't stop OSU from putting together a strong performance to earn its first road victory of the 2021-22 season and spoil Texas Tech’s four-match win streak. Two days later, OSU registered another complete effort, taking down TCU, 4-1, to finish off the weekend to improve to 14-3 on the season and 5-1 in Big 12 play. The winning streak started at the end of March when OSU closed out its conference homestand with a top 25 win, dominating then-No. 22 Baylor in Stillwater, 5-2. It was an exciting match the Cowgirls controlled from start to finish. Two days before the Baylor match, OSU dropped a hard-fought match to then-No. 6 Texas, 4-1. OSU held a 10-match winning streak which was snapped after dropping a hard-fought contest against UCF, 4-3. Before the UCF match, OSU completed an undefeated start to Big 12 play in its conference-opening homestand, where the Cowgirls started the weekend completing their seventh sweep of the year after dominating Kansas State, 4-0. OSU moved to 11-1 on the season and added another top 25 win to its resume, taking down then-No. 24 Kansas to finish off the weekend. This season, OSU returns Alana Wolfberg, Dariya Detkovskaya, Ayumi Miyamoto and Lora Boggs from last year's team. OSU signed Sofia Rojas, Oona Orpana, Mhai Mananchaya and Martina Zerulo. The veterans and Cowgirl newcomers have played a large role in the team's success this spring. OSU set the stage this fall for high expectations come the spring season between the three returners and five signees. Freshman Mhai Sawangkaew has answered the call for OSU. Playing on court two for the Cowgirls in singles, Sawangkaew holds a 14-2 record. In addition, two-time All-American Lisa Marie Rioux leads OSU on court one in singles with a 9-3 mark on the season, including a win over the nation's top-ranked singles player. In addition, Martina Zerulo has been steady, holding an 11-2 record on court three. OSU has won the doubles point in 13 out of 18 matches, led by the duo of Lisa Marie Rioux and Ayumi Miyamoto. The nation’s 19th-ranked ranked duo holds a 14-2 clip on the season. To close out February, OSU was crowned champions at the Blue Gray Tennis Classic after winning three matches in two days. The Cowgirls swept Yale and Furman while adding another top 25 win to their resume, taking down then-No.18 Wake Forest in the finals. The Cowgirls showed off their depth at ITA Kickoff weekend competing without two-time All-American Lisa Marie Rioux. OSU went 1-1, finishing the weekend with a 4-0 shutout of 21st-ranked LSU. OSU dropped a hard-fought match against No. 11 Ohio State, 4-1, on day one of play. OSU picked up a 5-2 win over pre-season top-25 opponent Princeton to begin the spring dual season.
Streaks and Trends
• OSU holds a 40-21 all-time record against Oklahoma.
• OSU has won eight out of the last 10 meetings against Oklahoma.
• OSU is 4-3 all-time against Pepperdine.
•OSU has won the doubles point in 13 out of 18 matches.
•The Cowgirls enter their 12th consecutive week ranked in the top 25.
•Mhai Sawangkaew holds a 14-2 record on the year in singles play.
•Lisa Marie Rioux and Ayumi Miyamoto enter this weekend having won 14 out of their last 16 matches.
An Oklahoma State Win Would...
•Make OSU the Big 12 regular season champions.
•Give OSU its 100th win at the Greenwood Tennis Center.
•Make it 41-21 all-time vs. Oklahoma.
•Make it 5-3 all-time vs. Pepperdine.
•Give OSU its ninth win in the last 11 meetings with the Sooners.
•Extend the Cowgirls' winning streak to six and seven.
