National Champ Tennis Cowgirls Talk Intensity, Personalities, and Outdoor Season
STILLWATER – Chris Young said his phone was constantly vibrating and making noise after his team closed out Michigan to win the ITA Division I Women’s Indoor Championship, the first national championship in tennis at Oklahoma State. Former players, other coaches, alumni, all kinds of folks were congratulating Young. He even got a shout out on social media from former Oklahoma State and Buffalo Bills College and Pro Football Hall of Fame running back Thurman Thomas.
“I sent something back to him right away,” Young said.
That is part of what is cool. Young has never pretended that his sport was the king (or queen) on campus, although now fans flock to the home matches and absolutely make the Greenwood Tennis Center almost impossible to move around in.
“Everybody is aware of football, basketball, baseball, whatever. People are not aware of tennis, so giving them that awareness and making them see is pretty cool. These girls are just as intense as any other athletes and they work very hard, so that is one of the things that I can do.”
He has done it. This May (tickets are already on sale) Oklahoma State and Greenwood Tennis Center will hos the NCAA Men’s and Women’s Tennis Championships. It is as big an event outside of football, basketball, and wrestling that OSU has hosted.
“I hope to bring 5,000 (people) on to the grounds,” Young said of a target number for attendenace this May.
Young’s team gives him a big chance. He has players that run the gamet in personality and emotions, but they all are tough competitiors that don’t cheat themselves, their teammates, or Oklahoma State fans on the effort and performance they bring to the courts.
There is No. 1 singles player Anastaysia Komar, who is just a powerful and intimidating athlete. Ange Oby Kajura is an “Energizer Bunny” at No. 2 singles. On court three is the fire in Lucia Peyre. Court No. 4 is Safiya Carrington, who at any point in a match can turn on her performance and become untouchable. No. 5 singles is Ayumi Miyamoto who is to be overlooked at your risk. She is a competitor. Then the steady and persistent No. 6 singles player and the former No. 1 in singles a year ago Kristina Novak.
Going from No. 1 to No. 6 could make for an attitude problem.
“I just want to bring the point. I don’t really care what court I’m playing as long as I get to play and contribute,” Novak said as she was named by the media oustanding player in the ITA indoors. “That is the mindset I went into with this tournament. I just wanted to get the job done and support my teammates and make all of them proud. I think I did the job all right.”
The intensity was thick, especially in two matches the 4-3 finals win over Michigan.
“It was pretty close match,” Miyamoto said. “We were just tougher than our opponent.”
Then in the Texas match, also a 4-3 score in the quarterfinal and the match ended in a third set tiebreaker on Court No. 4 with Safiya Carrington.
“This one pulled through,” Noval said pointing to her doubles partner Carrington. “We went up 3-0 and then got tied at 3 all and then Saf (Carrington) pulled it out.”
“Honestly, credit to Charlotte (Chavatipon) that plays for Texas. She played a really incredible match for the most part,” Carrington said of the clincher with the Longhorns. “I mean for me, it kind of felt like in the second set it was so close, but I could never get that point. The lead kept stretching and I kept telling myself every point it was okay, and there was another chance to turn it around. At a certain point when the match finished I just felt that I was in a daze. People said after, ‘do you remember that point?’ I said, ‘no, I can’t tell you a single point that happened.’ I felt like I was trying to lock in the whole time.”
Carrington is a great story as she is a third-generation African-American collegiate tennis player. Her grandfather played doubles with the great Arthur Ashe.
This team is bringing in fans left and right. Young said his biggest response came from the former players in the Cowgirls program. They have started planning a special reunion in May.
“It’s funny that I have a group text on my phone of all the former girls (OSU tennis players) and they all say they are coming for the NCAA. ‘You have to help us find a place to stay.’ (Viktoriya) Lushkova and (Katarina) Adamovich are saying, ‘We’re in, we’re doing it,’ I was like you guys have to act fast to find a place for you to stay.”
Great problem to have for a program that is now getting some top billing. The next step for the team, the start of the outdoor season on Saturday at Arizona State.
“I love the sun, I love the win, I love playing outdoors,” Miyamoto said.