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Cowboys Prod The Buckeyes & Cal Rides Out The Wave

by | May 22, 2016 | Blog | 2 comments

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The Cinderella team of this year’s NCAA Tournament kept its magic going on Saturday as the local team, Oklahoma State, stunned No. 4 Ohio State 4-2 in front of a large pro-Cowboys crowd in Tulsa. 
Oklahoma State won the doubles point for the for the 31st time in 32 matches by picking a 6-1 win at No. 3 and it clinched the point with a 7-5 win at No. 1. There was some controversy on match point because some fans yelled out prematurely so Ohio State was seeking to have the final point replayed. After a discussion it was determined the point would stand however a point penalty was assessed to that court so Oklahoma State’s No. 1 Katarina Adamovic started her match off down 0-15. (Video clip shows the final point)

Each team picked up three first sets in singles and four of the six matches would finish in straight sets. Oklahoma State’s Vladica Babic and Viktoriya Lushkova won in straight sets at No. 2 and No. 3 to extend the lead to 3-0 but Ohio State wasn’t ready to go away.

Ohio State’e Miho Kowase and Sandy Niehaus won in straight sets at No. 4 and No. 6 to close the gap to 3-2 and Francesca Di Lorenzo had a few match points to try and close out her match at No. 1 in straight sets. Oklahoma State’s Katarina Adamovic fought each one off and cruised to a 7-2 tiebreak to force a third set.

Katarina Stresnakova (Photo Bill Kallenberg)

It looked like the third set at No. 1 was going to be the decider because Ohio State’s Ferny Paz had opened up a 4-2 lead in the third set against Katarina Stresnakova at No. 5. Paz came into the match with a 22-2 dual-match record coming so I’m sure it was a court that Ohio State was counting on. Stresnakova was actually up an early break in the third set at 2-1 but Paz broke, held, and broke again to gain that 4-2 lead. Stresnakova broke back from 30-40 to make it 3-4 and then held comfortably to make it 4-4. Stresnakova would break again, this time from 15-40, to go up 5-4 so she was now serving for the match and team win.

Paz got the first point to go up 0-15 and she came to the net on the second point but Stresnakova passed her with a forehand winner to make it 15-all. Stresnakova hit a service winner to go up 30-15 but Paz countered with a forehand winner of her own to even it at 30-all. A backhand error by Paz made it 40-30 and then she put a forehand into the net to set off the wild celebration as Oklahoma State was moving on to the NCAA Semifinals for the first-time in program history. Below are match points from three different angles.


#12 Oklahoma State (28-4) def. #4 Ohio State (31-3), 4-2
May 21, 2016 at Tulsa, Oklahoma (Michael D. Case Tennis Center)
Head Coaches: Melissa Schaub (Ohio State) and Chris Young (Oklahoma State)
Doubles
1. #43 Maria Alvarez/Kelsey Laurente (OKST) def. #9 Miho Kowase/Anna Sanford (OHST), 7-5
2. #58 Gabriella De Santis/Sandy Niehaus (OHST) def. #54 V Lushkova/Carla Tur Mari (OKST), 7-5
3. #79 Katarina Adamovic/Vladica Babic (OKST) def. F. Di Lorenzo/Olivia Sneed (OHST), 6-1
Order of Finish: 3, 2, 1
Singles
1. #3 Francesca Di Lorenzo (Ohio State) vs. Katarina Adamovic (Oklahoma State), 6-3,6-7(2),3-2 un.
2. Vladica Babic (Oklahoma State) def. #89 Anna Sanford (Ohio State), 6-4, 6-3
3. Viktoriya Lushkova (Oklahoma State) def. #96 Gabriella De Santis (Ohio State), 6-1, 6-3
4. Miho Kowase (Ohio State) def. Kelsey Laurente (Oklahoma State), 6-0, 7-6 (2)
5. Katarina Stresnakova (Oklahoma State) def. Ferny Angeles Paz (Ohio State), 6-3, 3-6, 6-4
6. #81 Sandy Niehaus (Ohio State) def. Maria Alvarez (Oklahoma State), 6-2, 7-5
Order of Finish: 2, 3, 6, 4, 5
Oklahoma State Head Coach Chris Young
On thoughts on match…
“It’s hard coming in here so quick after the match is over, with a match like that and so many emotions. What a great college tennis match. I give Ohio State a lot of credit, they did not go away at all. I’m just really proud of our team. We talked about last match and all the things that we have overcome and that’s been our theme. Katie has overcome a lot on a personal level and everything that she has been through this semester. She was out for a period of time, she had to get her appendix taken out when she was playing her best tennis this semester. She has come back and today was an amazing thing for her, being down 4-2 during that final set and to come back just showed her toughness. I’m just so proud of her.
On importance of double point…
“The doubles point is huge. Percentage wise we’re the best doubles team in the country, we have only lost the doubles point one time and that’s something we pride ourselves on. It gets us going and obviously every point is necessary in a tight match. When you come down to elite eights and final fours, everybody is so close that one point makes a big difference and I thought our girls did a great job. Us winning the doubles points has been a different team each time and our number one team stepped up when our number two team didn’t play their best today. They stepped up and got the job done and I’m really proud of them.
On last hour, making one more point happen…
“We’ve been able to get the doubles point and we’ve got some spots in our lineup that are just clicking right now. I don’t know that anybody in the country is playing as good as Viktoriya Lushkova and Babic is on fire as well. So we feel like if we get that doubles point we can put a lot of pressure on people and I think we can get to three pretty quickly. But that’s why I give Ohio State a lot of credit. They were down 3-0 and they just kept fight- ing. They were in a pretty good position at one point, being up 4-2 on Katie’s court and that’s going to be a great battle, so that is just a credit to them and a credit to our girls for seeing it through to the finish line.
On players persevering through the season…
“We went to national indoors and Katie was in that spot twice, where she was the last match on and she lost the third set. And I think it’s a whole new experience for her, coming and being here, a team match, and everything coming down to her and just a lot of emotions involved. But those moments early in the season prepared her for this moment. She kept asking me the scores of the other courts and I’m like just focus on you’. And at the end I told her its all you, lets make it happen’ and she stepped up like a champ.
On what this win means for their program…
“It’s the first time ever for our program to be in this spot. We’re representing the state of Oklahoma, the Big 12, and Oklahoma State. We’re proud Cowgirls and this program has taken on such a great life of its own with the fan support that we have. We knew we could build this if we could get to this point. Something special is happening right now and I don’t know where it’s going to end but we’re sure enjoying the ride.
On crowd harassment penalty…
“Fans make our sport special and I hope that’s something we don’t take away. I thought our fans were classy today. I thought they cheered, they didn’t get after the opponent, they were doing things the right way. Some of these points that these girls are playing, it’s amazing. The ball keeps coming back and the reaction as a fan, sometimes you just get excited, especially on a match ball when you think it’s over. Credit to Ohio State for getting some of those balls back, but I hope that they let our fans, for all the teams, enjoy it because we have a great product out here and I hope people continue to come out and enjoy it and I think that is going to make our sport better.
On being so good at doubles points…
” I can’t give you my secrets. I think the secret is that we have three really good teams. At number three, my goodness, I have to give those girls credit because they have been lights out. We just have really good kids, there’s no secret to it. I think we are aggressive and we do good things but when you have good kids, they make you look good as a coach so I give my kids all the credit.
On playing well, despite Kelsey not having her best day…
“Great point. Credit Kowase, she’s a heck of a player from Ohio State and I give her a lot of credit. I take nothing away from Kelsey (Laurente). I think Kelsey played well, but we’ve won 16/17 matches in a row and Kelsey hadn’t lost in that stretch. Kelsey lost today and we still found a way to win, so I think that’s a credit to our team overall.
On all that Katie(Stresnakova) has been through this season…
“Katie reached a moment when she realized she has to do more. She struggled with different things and has played well. I’ll never forget when I took her out of the line up one time, I found out Katie didn’t like that too much. But we talked about it and I was like it’s a challenge. What are you going to do at that moment?’ At that time I thought it was the best thing for her, to sit out, and get that wake up call to step up. And the next day Katie was in the fitness room, on the row in the gym doing cardio. And everyday I was getting reports about what Katie was doing. We have cameras in our facility and I’m seeing that she is practicing on her own. And like I was saying and she was saying, she played the best match of her career at Oklahoma State and then the next day she had to go in for appendix surgery. She was telling the doctors that she was still playing that weekend. She had all the momentum going and to have all that taken away from you, it’s tough for a kid. Being away from home like she is, but I told her that everything she has been through, like some of the early season losses, prepared her for this moment. She was down 4-2 and she wasn’t shaking. That’s what makes sports special, what makes college sports special. That’s why we’re all here, because of kids like Katie. And you see the emotion and the hard work she’s put in. That is why everyone in this room is loving what just happened out there, because this kid overcame a lot of stuff and she put her mind to it and look what happened.
Katarina Stresnakova, Oklahoma State (#5 singles)
What’s going through your head right now…
“I’m just shaking. I really overcame a lot this season. I was really struggling at the beginning of this season and then I finally started to play better. I began to feel good about myself and then the surgery happened and I was out for two weeks. It was really tough, but it gave me a lot of time to think about the game and my life and what I wanted to achieve. I just wanted to be tougher. So, I did more than my teammates, I did more than everyone else. I was running by myself and biking.
Katie, talk about what it was like to be down 4-2 and then coming back…
“I tried to just think about how I wasn’t too far down. I knew that even if I wasn’t going to win, that I needed to just play my best and treat every point like it’s the last one of my career. So I was just fighting for each point and look at what happened, we won!
Katie, what was that last point like…
“I just knew that I would have to go for it, I couldn’t wait for her to make a mistake because she had been playing so aggressive the whole time so I knew that even if I was going to make a mistake I had to go for it.

Ohio State Head Coach Melissa Schaub
On how she feels about the last match and the season…
“It stings right now, obviously. I think that if we can look back on it we had an unbelievable year. These guys fight really hard, but it didn’t go our way today. It hurts, it hurts right now but we do have everybody in our starting lineup coming back next year. If we can focus on that and the kind of year that we had I think in a little bit when this starts to wear off we will be really proud of what we were able to accomplish this year.
On the doubles points in the match today…
“The doubles point was big, we knew that coming in. They have a couple spots that are really tough and I think we fought hard. Ferny (Angeles Paz) fought to the end, maybe had some chances there, but these guys played well. All the credit goes to Oklahoma State and it is going to be a good final four.
_________________________________________________________
In the other quarterfinal match is top-seeded California overcoming the loss of the doubles point to hold off Pepperdine 4-2.

Cal got a quick 6-2 win at No. 3 doubles but Pepperdine was able to pick up a 7-5 win at No. 1 and a 6-4 win at No. 2 to take the early 1-0 lead.

It didn’t take long for Cal to regain the lead as Denise Starr and Karla Popovic rolled to lopsided wins at No. 4 and No. 6. Pepperdine’s Luisa Stefani tied the match at 2-2 with a straight set win at No. 1 and it looked like Laura Gulbe was going to put the Waves ahead at No. 2. Gulbe served for the match up 5-4 and 6-5 in the second set and had a match point at 6-5 but ended up losing it and the set in a tiebreak.

Cal freshman Olivia Hauger, a Tulsa native, had a large gallery of fans watching her match and that support helped propel her past Matea Cutura at No. 5 to put the Bears 3-2.


Seconds later Cal senior Lynn Chi would clinch the match with a 7-5, 3-6, 6-3 win over Dzina Milovanovic at No. 3 and the Bears were headed back to the NCAA Semifinals for the first time since 2009. I haven’t seen a video clip of Chi’s match point yet – she finished moments after Oklahoma State’s match so I was a few courts away as was the NCAAs guy.

Pepperdine’s bid to make its first ever semifinal came up just short but they sure gave Cal all they wanted. 

#1 California (23-1) def. #8 Pepperdine (24-3), 4-2
May 21, 2016 at Tulsa, Oklahoma (Michael D. Case Tennis Center)
Head Coaches: Amanda Augustus (California) and Per Nilsson (Pepperdine)
Doubles
1. #26 Jean Runglerdkriangkrai/Luisa Stefani (Pep) def. #4 Maegan Manasse/Denise Starr (Cal), 7-5
2. #19 Matea Cutura/Christine Maddox (Pep) def. #90 Klara Fabikova/Olivia Hauger (Cal), 6-4
3. Lynn Chi/Maria Smith (Cal) def. Laura Gulbe/Dzina Milovanovic (Pep), 6-2
Order of Finish: 3, 1, 2
Singles
1. #6 Luisa Stefani (Pepperdine) def. #7 Maegan Manasse (California), 6-2, 7-6 (5)
2. #16 Klara Fabikova (California) vs. Laura Gulbe (Pepperdine), 5-7, 7-6 (3), 2-0 DNF
3. #80 Lynn Chi (California) def. Dzina Milovanovic (Pepperdine), 7-5, 3-6, 6-3
4. #88 Denise Starr (California) def. Jean Runglerdkriangkrai (Pepperdine), 6-0, 6-3
5. Olivia Hauger (California) def. Matea Cutura (Pepperdine), 3-6, 6-3, 6-4
6. Karla Popovic (California) def. Michaela Capannolo (Pepperdine), 6-0, 6-1
Order of Finish: 4, 6, 1, 5, 3
California Head Coach Amanda Augustus
On the matches played…
“We’ve seen Pepperdine already this year and we knew that it was going to be a fight. They compete really hard and I think we let some opportuni- ties get away from us in the doubles so I think we’ll definitely work on that and get better for the next match. But, I think we really rebounded well in the singles. We were pushed on pretty much every court, but we are pretty resilient and we know how to hang in there. I was just really pleased to see us out there fighting on pretty much every court and able to finish it off.
On losing the doubles point and what she told the team before singles…
“Well, we haven’t been super consistent with our doubles points this year. That’s probably why Lynn is laughing over here, Lynn played fantastic doubles today. We’re used to it. We feel really confident in our singles lineup. It’s a little nicer when you win the doubles points so we’ll make a few adjustments and I feel that we’ll be able to rebound. I don’t even know how many times we’ve had to come back after losing the doubles point this season, so I knew that everyone could handle it and they definitely showed up and competed.
On what this win means for their program…
“We’re excited. It’s been a goal for us all season long. We’ve had to take it one match at a time. It’s part of what we like to be about as a program and I think this team this year really, really were committed and that’s helped us win some close matches. You need that little extra belief. It’s a big honor and our men are playing tomorrow so we’re really just excited to have Cal so well-represented at this tournament.
On how it feels to have fans and parents cheering you on…
“We’re really lucky. Olivia on our team is from Tulsa so she’s been excited to come here for a very long time and play in front of her friends and fam- ily. Our men have had a great season as well so I think we’ve been supporting and cheering for each other this whole road. Hopefully, we can keep it rolling for a few more days.
Lynn Chi, California (#3 singles)
“What was going through your mind when the first three sets were done…
“It was a really tough match, but she played really well. She had that lefty-forehand with the spin. We both battled a lot and we had to make several adjustments. I think it came down to just a couple errors here and there at the end. I also did serve pretty well at the end of that third set so I think that also helped me as well.
Talk about your final set, knowingly that its really coming down to that one set…
“My mindset at the time was that I believed in Olivia. She’s had a history of coming back in her matches and I just thought to myself that if Olivia was fighting as hard as she could over there, then I needed to do the same thing. I’m also just so proud of everyone on the team for fighting so hard. Claire also came back and won her second set. At that time and I just knew that I needed to leave it all out there for my teammates.
Pepperdine Head Coach Per Nilsson
Comments on the match…
“It was super close. I thought there for a 20-minute, 30-minute period, thought we were going to have a good chance of winning. We couldn’t get on top of them (California) enough for them to go away. They did a really good job of battling back or staying in some matches. They got two quick ones (match wins) that kind of made them feel relaxed, I think. But, overall it was a really cool match to me a part of.
Final thoughts on the seniors…
“I just told them if there’s a team that can walk around proud its our team. We’ve come a long way. We only lost to the No. 1 team (California) in the country twice and another team (Ohio State) that’s top five. We just gave these guys a pretty good battle, so I told them not to hang their heads too much, walk around proud and be excited for next year.

2 Comments

  1. 181
    181 on Thu March 19, 2020 at 6:25 pm

    If you want truly obnoxious behavior, go to Waco.

  2. 181
    181 on Thu March 19, 2020 at 6:25 pm

    sorry but talk about being overly officious and ruining stuff, what I heard on that doubles match point heard all the time. Unless it was teammates, that was a ridiculous pt penalty that was carried over. Talk about sucking the fun out the crowd. There was no harassment just fans cheering on what appeared to be a winning shot, happens ever match.