At the ITA National Indoor This was Epic for Oklahoma State Beating Texas
(This story orginated with Oklahoma State University athletic media relations and was written by Hayden Simmons. It was contributed to by Pokes Report publisher Robert Allen.)
SEATTLE, Wash. – Down in the Lone Star State the saying is “Don’t Mess with Texas.” Oklahoma State doesn’t mind doing that one bit and in the ITA National Indoors quarterfinal the Cowgirls defeated No. 10 Texas in a crushing third-set tiebreaker to advance 4-3 and take on Stanford in the semifinals on Sunday.
With the match hanging in the balance, No. 3 Oklahoma State’s Safiya Carrington won a third-set tiebreaker 6-2, but it was tooth and nail as both teams and coaching staffs were completely gathered around the court that Carrington and Texas Charlotte Chavatipon were playing on. Chavatipon won the first set 7-5 as the singles competition was moving on toward a 3-3 tie between the two schools.
Carrington came back to take the second set 7-5 and then as the third set reached a point where Chavatipon led 4-2, all other matches had finished and the focus was on these two players. Carrington, as she seems to have a habit of doing rallies and gets smoking. As she did, Chavatipon could feel it. The double faults started happening and Carrington was stroking winners to both corners of the court. She broke serve at 5-4 and then the two moved to 6-6 and the tiebreaker.
Carrington stormed to a 6-0 lead and match and dual point, but double faulted twice before finally earning the point to win the dual and eliminate Texas. The entire Oklahoma State team converged on Carrington to celebrate.
With the win, the Cowgirls stay undefeated at 7-0 on the season while securing their third win over a top-10 ranked opponent and sixth win over a top-15 ranked opponent.T he win also advances OSU to the semifinals of the ITA Indoor National Championships, setting up a showdown with No. 2 Stanford on Sunday at 5:30 p.m. CT.
The Cowgirls took the early advantage, capturing the doubles point. Texas was the first to turn in a doubles win on court three as Charlotte Chavatipon and Vivian Ovrootsky defeated Kristina Novak and Safiya Carrington, 6-2.
Oklahoma State quickly answered, taking court one as No. 13 Anastasiya Komar and Ange Oby Kajuru beat No. 37 Taisiya Pachkaleva and Sabina Zeynalova, 6-3.
Ayumi Miyamoto and Raquel Gonzalez clinched the doubles point for OSU on court two, beating Tanya Sasnouskaya and Malaika Rapolu, 6-2.
In singles, the Cowgirls quickly added to their lead. Kristina Novak made quick work of Pachkaleva on court six, winning 6-1, 6-3. No. 5 Kajuru followed that by defeating No. 29 Sasnouskaya, 6-2, 6-2, on court two.
Texas responded by putting the next three points on the board. No. 36 Rapolu defeated No. 54 Lucia Peyre, 6-1, 6-4, on court three. On court one, Zeynalova beat No. 17 Komar, 6-3, 6-4, and on court five, Ovrootsky bested No. 46 Miyamoto, 6-1, 7-6 (7-3). That is when No. 122 Carrington was able to force a third set against No. 120 Chavatipon on court four, and after tiebreaker, Carrington secured the OSU win, 5-7, 7-5, 7-6 (7-2).
“That was a great win,” Oklahoma State Director of Tennis and Cowgirls head coach Chris Young wrote to me afterwards. “This team is so determined and Saf (Sofiya) was amazing.”
Oklahoma State will meet No. 2 Stanford in the semifinals on Sunday at 5:30 p.m. CT with a trip to the ITA Indoor National Championship match on the line.
No. 3 Oklahoma State 4 No. 10 Texas 3
Singles competition
1. Sabina Zeynalova (UT) def. No. 17 Anastasiya Komar (OSU) 6-3, 6-4
2. No. 5 Ange Oby Kajuru (OSU) def. No. 29 Tanya Sasnouskaya (UT) 6-2, 6-2
3. No. 36 Malaika Rapolu (UT) def. No. 54 Lucia Peyre (OSU) 6-1, 6-4
4. No. 122 Safiya Carrington (OSU) def. No. 120 Charlotte Chavatipon 5-7, 7-5, 7-6 (7-2)
5. Vivian Ovrootsky (UT) def. No. 46 Ayumi Miyamoto (OSU) 6-1, 7-6 (7-3)
6. Kristina Novak (OSU) def. Taisiya Pachkaleva (UT) 6-1, 6-3
Doubles competition
1. No. 13 Ange Oby Kajuru and Anastasiya Komar (OSU) def. No. 37 Taisiya Pachkaleva and Sabina Zeynalova (UT) 6-3
2. Ayumi Miyamoto and Raquel Gonzalez (OSU) def. Tanya Sasnouskaya and Malaika Rapolu (UT) 6-2
3. Charlotte Chavatipon and Vivian Ovrootsky (UT) def. Safiya Carrington and Kristina Novak (OSU) 6-2
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1,2); Singles (6,2,3,1,5,4)