No. 1 Cowgirls Set for Regular Season Finale
The Basics
No. 1 Oklahoma State (23-0, 12-0) will look to complete a perfect regular season when it takes on Kansas State on Sunday at 1 p.m. at the Greenwood Tennis Center. The Cowgirls have already broken program records for most wins to begin a season and most conference win in a season, and now they'll try to finish off the first undefeated regular season in program history.
Following the Action
Live streaming of the match will be available on ESPN+ as part of Cracked Racquets CrossCourt Cast. Additionally, live streaming will be available at the following link: okstate.statbroadcast.com.
In the Rankings
Oklahoma State was ranked No. 1 in the ITA Division I rankings for the ninth consecutive week on Tuesday. In the latest singles rankings, Ange Oby Kajuru appeared at No. 4, while Anastasiya Komar came in at No. 12, Lucia Peyre at No. 56, Safiya Carrington at No. 73 and Ayumi Miyamoto at No. 89. In doubles, Komar and Kajuru checked in at No. 5, while Komar and Raquel Gonzalez appeared at No. 26.
Series History
Oklahoma State will take on Kansas State for the 54th time in program history on Sunday, going 47-6 against the Wildcats in a series that dates back to 1980. The Cowgirls have won 17 of the last 18 meetings, including each of the last three.
Indoor National Champs
Oklahoma State captured its first-ever ITA Indoor National Championship in February in Seattle, Washington, putting an exclamation point on what has been a historic start to the season for the Cowgirls. OSU battled through a field that included 15 of the top 16 ranked teams in the country, going through then No. 14 Auburn, No. 10 Texas and No. 2 Stanford before taking down No. 5 Michigan in the title match. Head coach Chris Young and the Cowgirls took over the top spot in the ITA rankings after winning the indoor title and will now set their sights on an NCAA title run, which will be played at the Greenwood Tennis Center in Stillwater in May.
Senior Spotlight
This Sunday, Oklahoma State will honor its three seniors, Safiya Carrington, Ayumi Miyamoto and Kristina Novak, following its match against Kansas State. In her first season with OSU after transferring from LSU, Carrington was pivotal in the ITA Indoor national Title run, going 4-0 in the tournament on her way to the All-Tournament team and Big 12 Player of the Week honors. Miyamoto will leave Stillwater as the only player to ever play five seasons as a Cowgirl, building a resume that includes two All-America selections, an NCAA doubles semifinal run and three All-Big 12 selections. Novak joined Oklahoma State prior to last season after beginning her career at Nebraska. After playing at the No. 1 position last year, Novak has provided stability as the bottom of the OSU lineup this season, going 15-0 from the No. 5 and No. 6 positions while earning Most Outstanding Player honors at ITA Indoors.
The Resume
Oklahoma State has exceeded what were already high expectations for its 2024 season, producing its best start in program history at 23-0. Fourteen of the 23 wins have come against top-30 ranked opponents, with six coming against teams that were ranked in the top-10 at the time of the match. Going by the latest ITA rankings, the Cowgirls have beaten No. 2 Michigan (twice), No. 3 Stanford, No. 7 Pepperdine, No. 8 Texas (twice), No. 14 Auburn, No. 15 UCLA, No. 16 Ohio State and No. 20 Oklahoma. The Cowgirls currently boast six wins over teams ranked in the top-eight and 11 wins over top-25 teams. The six wins against top-10 opponents on the season is yet another program record that was set in 2024.
Asserting Dominance
After winning the ITA Indoor National Championship, Oklahoma State hasn't missed a beat as play has moved outdoors. The Cowgirls have won their 12 outdoor matches by a combined score of 62-8, including eight shutouts and five wins over opponents ranked in the top-30. On the season, the Cowgirls are now 88-23 in singles matches for a winning percentage of .793, led by Kristina Novak (15-0), Ange Oby Kajuru (16-3) and Lucia Peyre (15-5). OSU is also 40-16 (.714) in doubles behind a 14-4 start from Anastasiya Komar and Kajuru at the No. 1 position.
Notable Streaks and Trends
• Oklahoma State has won the doubles point in 16 of its last 18 matches and 19 of 23 on the season.
• In singles and doubles, the Cowgirls are a combined 27-9 against nationally ranked opponents.
• Out of the No. 4 and No. 6 spots, OSU is a combined 33-4.
• Kristina Novak is 15-0 to begin the season and 4-0 against ranked opponents.
• Ange Oby Kajuru has won 12-consecutive singles matches, making her 16-3 on the season with five ranked wins.
• After starting the season 0-2, Anastasiya Komar and Ange Oby Kajuru have won 14 of their last 16 doubles matches from the No. 1 position.
• Oklahoma State is 10-0 in doubles in its last five matches.
An Oklahoma State Win Would...
• Secure the Big 12 regular season championship, its fourth in program history and first since 2017.
• Improve it to 24-0, completing the first perfect regular season in program history.
• Improve it to 11-0 at home this season, reaching double-figure home wins for the eighth time in the last 10 seasons.
• Improve it to 13-0 in conference play, breaking the program record for most conference wins in a season.
• Improve it to 48-6 all-time against Kansas State.
• Improve it to 118-18 all-time at the Greenwood Tennis Center.
