The Basics
No. 20 Oklahoma State will host a super regional in Stillwater for the second consecutive season as it will take on No. 25 Stanford on Saturday at 1 p.m. at the Greenwood Tennis Center. The Cowgirls swept No. 36 Tulsa before upsetting No. 6 Oklahoma to advance through the first two rounds, securing their spot in the Sweet 16 for the seventh time in the last 10 tournaments. Stanford got 4-1 wins over No. 56 Florida International and host Texas Tech to advance, and this will be the first time Stanford will take on the Pokes in Stillwater. Each team has a chance to advance to the final site in Waco, Texas, with a win, where the final three rounds will be played. OSU is looking to reach the Elite 8 for just the third time in program history after having done so in back-to-back seasons in 2016-17. Oklahoma State is 19-2 in postseason matches at home since it began playing in the Greenwood Tennis Center in 2013-14.
Following the Action
Saturday's super regional match will be broadcast by Cracked Racquets as part of its CrossCourt Cast coverage on YouTube. That stream can be viewed at the following link: https://youtube.com/live/U6tQK-FIPzU?feature=share. Additionally, live scoring can be found at okstate.statbroadcast.com. Tickets for the match will be $5 and can be found at the following link: https://okstate.evenue.net/events/TENNIS. OSU students can enter for free by showing their student ID at the gate.
In the Rankings
Oklahoma State entered the NCAA Tournament at No. 20 in the ITA rankings after a semifinal run at the Big 12 Championships. OSU was one of 11 Big 12 teams to be recognized, joining Texas Tech (12), UCF (21), Baylor (22), Arizona (30), Arizona State (35), Kansas (40), TCU (46), BYU (62), Iowa State (65) and Kansas State (67). In the individual rankings, Anastasiya Komar and Rose Marie Nijkamp remained in the top 10 at No. 6 in the doubles poll. In singles, Gracie Epps came in at No. 77, while Komar appeared at No. 84, Rose Marie Nijkamp moved up to No. 115 and Marcela Lopez checked in at No. 125.
The Matchup
Last season's win in the semifinals of the ITA Indoor National Championships snapped a six-match losing streak for OSU against Stanford. The teams have met three times in the NCAA Tournament, with the Cardinal claiming all three, including a 4-3 win in the 2016 national championship match. Six of the seven previous meetings have been on neutral courts, with the only exception being a 5-1 Stanford win at home in 1991. This will be the first time the teams will meet in Stillwater, where Oklahoma State is 26-2 since the start of last season and 19-2 in the postseason since the Greenwood Tennis Center was built in 2013.
The Tournament Rundown
In its 13th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance, OSU is in the Sweet 16 for the seventh time in the last 10 tournaments. The Cowgirls have an opportunity to reach the Elite 8 for the third time in program history with a win on Saturday, and the winner of the match will be the first unseeded team to reach the NCAA quarterfinals since 2021. Oklahoma State is the only Big 12 team remaining in the tournament, and the winner of Saturday's super regional match will draw the winner of No. 3 Michigan and No. 14 Texas in the quarterfinals in Waco, Texas.
Rivalry Renewed
Oklahoma State's win over No. 6 Oklahoma in the second round was its biggest upset in the NCAA Tournament since it beat top seeded California in the semifinals in 2016. The Cowgirls got the win despite losing the doubles point, marking the first time they've done so this season, and it was their first win over a top-10 ranked opponent this season, snapping a three-match losing streak. OSU now holds a 42-23 advantage in the all-time series with the Sooners, including wins in Norman in back-to-back seasons. The win also came in the first-ever NCAA Tournament match between the programs, giving the Pokes the edge in Big Dance battles.
Notable Streaks and Trends
• 12 of OSU's 21 wins this season have been shutouts.
• Oklahoma State has won the doubles point in 21 of its 28 matches this season, including 13 of the last 15.
• Anastasiya Komar and Rose Marie Nijkamp are 20-3 in doubles this season with wins in 12 of their last 13.
• Rose Marie Nijkamp has won 15 consecutive singles matches, with all but two coming in straight sets.
• Gracie Epps is 12-0 when playing on court five this season.
• Anastasiya Komar is 17-2 when playing on court two this season with wins in eight straight and 13 of 14.
An Oklahoma State Win Would...
• Advance it to the Elite 8 for the third time in program history.
• Make it the first unseeded team to reach the NCAA quarterfinals since 2021.
• Improve it to 20-2 all-time in postseason matches at the Greenwood Tennis Center.
• Improve its record in the NCAA Tournament to 29-25.
• Improve its record in the NCAA Tournament under Chris Young to 25-12.
• Improve it to 22-7 on the season.
• Improve it to 11-1 at home this season.
• Improve it to 2-6 all-time against Stanford.
• Improve it to 1-3 all-time against Stanford in the NCAA Tournament.
• Give it wins on 15 of its last 16 matches.
