Oklahoma State Loses Lucia Peyre to Knee Injury and Tennessee Scores Huge Upset

(This story originated with Robert Allen from Pokes Report but was contributed to by Oklahoma State University Athletic Media Relations.)

STILLWATER – The dreams that had lived and thrived all season for the unbeaten and top-ranked Oklahoma State women’s tennis team came to a unexpected and crashing conclusion one step away from hosting the NCAA Tennis Chaampionships and the bracket play for the final eight at the Greenwood Tennis Center. The Cowgirls battled hard to win the doubles point from one  of the best doubles playing teams in the country in Tennessee, but the singles play suffered when No. 3 singles player for Oklahoma State Lucia Peyre was wrongfooted on a point early in her match with former OSU Cowgirls player Alana Wolfberg. Peyre, on the far court from the Greenwood Tennis Center, tried to change direction and ended in a clump on the baseline sobbing. Peyre knew immediately she had a serious injury.

“I didn’t even see it,” Cowgirls head coach Chris Young said afterwards. “I was coaching Oby (Ange Oby Kajuru)  and turned around to see her on the ground. It is a tough thing.”

The injury didn’t beat the Cowgirls, although that was a match at No. 3 singles where Oklahoma State was favored. It did cause a chain reaction of doubt, and despite some consistent fighting the Cowgirls succumbed to the doubt and to Tennessee 4-2. 

“Just proud of them, you know,” Young started when talking to the media after it was over. “It took a lot to go wrong to day to beat us. It was a good effort by Tennessee, but it doesn’t take away how proud I am of this team.”

The loss ends the Oklahoma State team season although several players will move on in singles and doubles. Peyre was suposed to be one of those, but that is unlikely. She was a big part of the teams championships in the ITA Indoor Championship, Big 12 regular season Chmpionship. and the Big 12 Conference Tournament Championship. The Cowgirls beat rival Texas three times this season, No. 3-ranked Michigan twice including the ITA Indoor Championship final. They also beat No. 2 Stanford and No. 6 Pepperdine. 

Peyre even tried to go back out and played a point before slumping back down on the court and having to be carried off by Oklahoma State assistant coach Jaime Sanchez-Cañamares. It was a tough scene for her teammates and the fans that have made the Greenwood Tennis Center one of the most enthuiastic venues in women’s tennis.

“Her first reaction is it is her fault that we lose, and it is not at all,” Young said adding that he did not know what the injury was yet. “You have to make sure that you support a kid like that and realize that’s life and that’s sports. She is a kid that brings so much passion and energy to our team and we thrive off that.”

The default tied the score as Oklahoma State had won the doubles.   

Doubles play opened with Alana Wolfberg and Esther Adeshina taking down OSU’s Ayumi Miyamoto and Raquel Gonzalez, 6-3. Court one knotted things back up as No. 3 Anastasiya Komar and Ange Oby Kajuru took down No. 11 Elza Tomase and Sofia Cabezas, 6-4.

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Kajura and Kmar won in doubles on court one.

With both teams needing to win court three to secure the point, Kristina Novak and Safiya Carrington clinched the point for the Cowgirls defeating Cathrine Aulia and Lauren Anzalotta, 6-4.

The doubles alone were a teriffic battle and Young knew going in how much the Lady Vols valued that doubles point.

“I thought we played really well in doubles,” Young said. “Tennessee is a great program. I don’t want to get in the way of what they did, but it did take a good effort from us in doubles and I thought it was a key going forward.”

Robert Allen - Pokes Report

Carrington has her arm looked at on court four.

Injuries continued as another team leader Safiya Carrington on court four took an injury time out after leading 4-0 in the first set and seeing Tennessee’s Cathrine Aulia come back with four straight games to tie the first set. Carrington had her right arm worked on and came back with a sleeve on, but never played the same was beaten in straight sets. 

No. 6 singles player Kristina Novak also went down in straight sets to Esther Adeshina and it was her first singles loss the entire season. She finished 18-1.

On court two, No. 3 Kajuru bested Elza Tomase, 6-2, 6-3. With two matches left playing Tennessee had taken a 3-2 lead and on court five Ayumi Miyamoto was battling down a set and losing the second set. Miyamoto just kept haning in there. 

“There were some tough calls that didn’t go her way in the first set, but we had figured out a plan and I wish she could have finished,” Young said. “I didn’t think she was going down.”

Robert Allen - Pokes Report

Komar played well but lost int ht third set tiebreaker

Anastaysia Komar was battling Sofia Cabezas on court one in a third set that went to a tiebreaker. Komar had won the first set big and then it became a battle. The tiebreaker was 6-6 when Cabezas got ahead on a forehand winner and then serving, Cabezas had a let on the serve, which they pay through in college tennis but Komar couldn’t get to it for the return. That ended the match with the score on court one being 2-6, 6-1, 7-6 (8-6) to Cabezas

“The thing you can say about this team after kind of everything that could have gone wrong did they were fighting to the end,” Young said proudly. “They were fighting to the end.”

The players dealt with it in different ways. Peyre, on crutches, went out and sat on the indoor courts quietly. Novak went out to see her parents in the stands but was visibly mad, not sad, mad following the loss. Other players stayed in the locker room. 

With the dual season coming to a close for the Cowgirls, Komar, Kajuru and Peyre (injury permitting) will all compete in the NCAA Individual Championships May 20-26 at the Greenwood Tennis Center.

No. 16 Tennnessee 4  No. 1 Oklahoma State 2

Singles competition 

No. 14 Sofia Cabezas (TENN) def. No. 18 Anastasiya Komar (OSU) 2-6, 6-1, 7-6 (8-6)

No. 3 Ange Oby Kajuru (OSU) def. Elza Tomase (TENN) 6-2, 6-3

Alana Wolfberg (TENN) def. No. 46 Lucia Peyre (OSU) inj. def.

Cathrine Aulia (TENN) def. No. 72 Safiya Carrington (OSU) 6-4, 6-1

No. 84 Ayumi Miyamoto (OSU) vs. Lauren Anzalotta (TENN) 7-6 (7-3), 6-5, unfinished

Esther Adeshina (TENN) def. Kristina Novak (OSU) 6-4, 6-3

Doubles competition 

No. 3 Anastasiya Komar and Ange Oby Kajuru (OSU) def. No. 11 Elza Tomase and Sofia Cabezas (TENN) 6-4

Alana Wolfberg and Esther Adeshina (TENN) def. Ayumi Miyamoto and Raquel Gonzalez (OSU) 6-3

Kristina Novak and Safiya Carrington (OSU) def. Cathrine Aulia and Lauren Anzalotta (TENN) 6-4

Order of finish:

Doubles (2,1,3); Singles (3,2,4,6,1)