No. 1 Oklahoma State Cowgirls Win Big 12 Quarterfinal to go to 25-0
(This story was originated by Oklahoma State University Athletic Media Relations and was contributed to by POkes Report publisher Robert Allen.)
STILLWATER – Oklahoma State's top-ranked women's tennis team took down UCF, 4-1, on Thursday night at the Greenwood Tennis Center to advance to the Big 12 Championship semifinals. With the win, OSU moved to 25-0 on the season, while the loss drops the Knights to 11-12 on the year.
The match opened with the doubles point going the way of the Cowgirls. The fifth-ranked pairing of Anastasiya Komar and Ange Oby Kajuru defeated Noel Saidenova and Anique Kattenberg, 6-2, and Kristina Novak and Safiya Carrington took down Olivia Lincer and Donatella Guarnieri, 6-2, to secure the doubles point. It took all of 23 minutes to win the doubles point.
“I thought we got off to a great start in doubles, which is really a key,” Oklahoma State head coach and Director of Tennis Chris Young said. “You know we really battled well and got some key first sets and then it just got cold. The ball really wasn’t moving and that was tough. I think this team showed that in any conditions we can find a way. For them they knew this could be their last match and they really battled.”
Ayumi Miyamoto and Raquel Gonzalez had their match go unfinished while leading Jantje Tilbuerger and Sophia Biolay, 4-2.
Singles play opened with Novak pushing her singles record to 17-0 on the year after beating Guarnieri, 6-1, 6-3. Gonzalez pushed the match's outcome to the brink, defeating Tilbuerger 6-3, 6-1.
“The Guarnieri girl played really did a good job last time on Miyamoto and I thought moving Novak (No. 5 singles) that was a better match-up for her with her size and ball striking ability that was going to be perfect for her,” Young explained the line-up change. “It was the right situation to mix things up. That is what she has done for us all season long.”
On court one, UCF's Biolay grabbed a point back for the Knights taking down No. 15 Komar, 6-3, 6-2.
No. 55 Lucia Peyre closed out the match for the Cowgirls, taking down Lincer, 7-5, 7-5. She had led the second set at one point 5-3, but Lincer got tough and came back before Peyre won the last two games after the set went 5-5.
Two courts were left unfinished due to the Cowgirl victory. No. 2 Kajuru led No. 102 Saidenova, 7-6 (7-4), 5-4, and No. 93 Miyamoto was knotted up with Kattenberg, 4-6, 6-3, 1-3.
“Now we have a fresh (Safiya) Carrington going into the weekend and that is a good thing,” Young said of giving Carrington the night off from singles.
The Cowgirls will be back in action tomorrow night when it takes on Texas Tech at 6 p.m.
No. 1 Oklahoma State 4 No. 50 UCF 1
Singles competition
No. 125 Sophia Biolay (UCF) def. No. 15 Anastasiya Komar (OSU) 6-3, 6-2
No. 2 Ange Oby Kajuru (OSU) vs. No. 102 Noel Saidenova (UCF) 7-6 (7-4), 5-4, unfinished
No. 55 Lucia Peyre (OSU) def. Oliva Lincer (UCF) 7-5, 7-5
No. 93 Ayumi Miyamoto (OSU) vs. Anique Kattenberg (UCF) 4-6, 6-3, 1-3, unfinished
Kristina Novak (OSU) def. Donatella Guarnieri (UCF) 6-1, 6-3
Raquel Gonzalez (OSU) def. Jantje Tilbuerger (UCF) 6-3, 6-1
Doubles competition
No. 5 Anastasiya Komar and Ange Oby Kajuru (OSU) def. Noel Saidenova and Anique Kattenberg (UCF) 6-2
Ayumi Miyamoto and Raquel Gonzalez (OSU) vs. Jantje Tilbuerger and Sophia Biolay (UCF) 4-2, unfinished
Kristina Novak and Safiya Carrington (OSU) def. Olivia Lincer and Donatella Guarnieri (UCF) 6-2
Order of finish:
Doubles (1,3); Singles (5,6,1,3)