PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Tulsa advanced to the round of 16 of the NCAA Women’s Tennis Championship Saturday as the No. 24 Golden Hurricane topped No. 9-ranked Oklahoma State 4-2 in a second-round match in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
No. 22 UCF and No. 35 Wichita State saw their respective seasons come to an end in Saturday’s second round. The Knights dropped a 4-3 decision to No. 16 Miami (Fla.) in Coral Gables, Florida, while the Shockers fell 4-2 to No. 6 Ole Miss in Oxford, Mississippi.
Tulsa not only won its first two NCAA tournament matches for the first time in program history, the Golden Hurricane becomes the first team from the American Athletic Conference to reach the NCAA round of 16.
Tulsa 4, Oklahoma State 2
Tulsa got the clinching point from Martina Okalova at No. 2 singles to send the Golden Hurricane past Oklahoma State Saturday. Tulsa won the doubles point when the tandem of Ksenia Laskutova/Martha Matoula topped the Oklahoma State’s top tandem, which is ranked No. 14 nationally, and built a 2-0 lead on Shura Poppe’s 6-0, 6-0 win at No. 6 singles. Oklahoma State answered with the next two singles wins, but Tulsa’s Vera Ploner won a second-set tiebreaker at No. 5 to give the Golden Hurricane a 3-2 lead before Okalova closed it with a 5-7, 6-4, 6-0 victory at No. 2.
Tulsa will face No. 21 Florida State Thursday in the third round of the tournament on the campus of Wake Forest.
Miami (Fla.) 4, UCF 3
UCF picked up its first NCAA tournament win in program history yesterday against FIU, but the Knights were unable to make it two in a row as Miami staved off elimination to rally for a 4-3 victory. UCF won the doubles point and built a 3-2 lead after wins by Monica Matias and Rebeka Stolmar at No. 4 and 3 singles, but the Hurricanes took wins at No. 2 and No. 6 to get the come-from-behind win.
UCF finished its season with a 20-5 record.
Ole Miss 4, Wichita State 2
Wichita State held an early lead after the doubles round, and was locked in a 2-2 tie in the early action in singles, but saw Ole Miss claim the final two matches to end the Shockers’ season. The highlight for the Shockers came at No. 1 doubles, where the tandem of Fatima Bizhukova/Marta Bellucco defeated the Rebels’ No. 5-ranked tandem. Wichita State’s lone singles win came at No. 4 from Gabriela Porubin.
Wichita State ends its first season as an American Athletic Conference member with an 18-9 record.
NCAA DIVISION I WOMEN’S TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIP
American Athletic Conference Pairings
First Round May 11
at Coral Gables, Fla.
UCF 4, FIU 3
at Stillwater, Okla.
Tulsa 4, LSU 2
at Oxford, Miss.
Wichita State 4, Syracuse 1
Second Round May 12
at Coral Gables, Fla.
Miami (Fla.) 4, UCF 3
at Stillwater, Okla.
Tulsa 4, Oklahoma State 2
at Oxford, Miss.
Ole Miss 4, Wichita State 2
Third Round May 17
at Winston-Salem, N.C.
Tulsa (23-5) vs. Florida State (19-12), 4 p.m.