Cowgirls carry 11-match win streak into Big 12 Tennis Tournament

The Oklahoma State Cowgirls are set for the Big 12 Tournament following an 11-match win streak and a share of the Big 12 regular season title.

This is the ninth time in the last 11 tournaments that OSU will be one of the top three seeds, and the Cowgirls will be looking for back-to-back Big 12 Tournament titles for the first time in program history. OSU finished the regular season at 18-6 overall and 12-1 in Big 12 play, tying the second-most conference wins in a season in program history.

Oklahoma State is one of four teams to earn a double bye into Friday’s quarterfinals, joining Texas Tech, UCF and Baylor. The Cowgirls will open play at 10 a.m. on Friday against Arizona State, Iowa State or Colorado, depending on results from the days prior.

Chris Young caught up with Ravin Ray about adversity throughout the season and postseason hopes:

Q: You guys go on a win streak and then drop one. I mean, that's the only one you dropped the rest of the conference play. How did you kind of get the girls back in the rhythm from there?

A: Yeah, I think for us, just losing that first one early in the conference was something we weren't used to. But we have a young group, and we had to figure out the lineup for the season. And you know, once we lost that first one, I think the girls reset really quickly. And then to finish the season winning 11 in a row. I thought the girls did a really good job of just locking in and really understanding what it took to be a conference champion, that they had no more margin for error. And, at that point in time, it was just about everybody knowing their role and what they needed to do, and it really made us stronger. I think, you know, having a little bit of adversity early in the season has played a big role in us becoming stronger throughout the rest of the way.

Q: It's really hard to win every conference match, right?

A: I mean, it's kind of hard. You know, last year we went undefeated all the way through, and I think a lot of people expected it's just always going to be that easy for us. But you know, this year I thought just losing one and being able to go through and win back to back, I think, is something that's still really special. You have a target on your chest all year long, and with a new group. We only had one girl that played on the team last year in our lineup. And so to do it with a completely different team and a new group, I think, just shows the stability and the culture of our team is really strong. The foundation is here, and I think this group can do something really special in the postseason.

Q: I also want to talk about the girls who stepped up to, like you said, adversity. There's been a lot of times where you've had to bring in some girls on singles, even, talk about your depth that you've got.

A: Yeah. I think the depth of our team is really what's been really strong all the way through the bottom of our lineup. You have an Oklahoma kid, Gracie, that's at the bottom has really established herself at number five singles. You know, I think if you look at our lineup, I think it comes at to is somebody who is, you know, obviously on the team last year, but her too. And then Rose Nijkamp, a girl at four who's a freshman and Gracie at five. Those are two, three of those girls are the best singles players at their spot in the conference. And so when you have three girls that can get you three points, you just got to go find one somewhere else. But I think overall, the girls are just given us a lot of good depth. Our doubles has been really good. Rose and Anastasiya (Komar) are the number five doubles team in the country. So you know, we've been able to lock in some spots that are really hard for teams to beat us at.

Q: What is it about Nas being one of the returners coming back, what is what have you seen most from her from last year? You know, when she was at that one spot a lot of times, and just how she's been able to grow?

A: I think Nas is just shown a lot of maturity. She's grown a lot in her game, but she's grown a lot off the court as a leader. She's the person that was returning from the team. She's had to step up and into a leadership role that maybe she was uncomfortable with. Early in the season, but she's really established herself just a leader on and off the court. I think she's really grown into that person that's become the face of the program. And, she's done that as she's become more comfortable. Our team has grown. And, you know, it's something that I think even our fans have noticed, just a big change in her. And it's someone that a lot of people love to cheer for and root for. And just to see her growth, I think it's pretty evident for everybody involved with our program. Obviously, clinching a share of the title just shows how dominant this, this, conference was.

Q: So going into the tournament, what kind of sticks out for you with it's kind of being anybody's game?

A: I think there's 10-11 teams that can be in the postseason. You know, I think of the 16 teams, everybody has a chance going into this tournament to make a run. And, you know, if we have ten teams that make the NCAA tournament, that's pretty strong. So we know that every team is going to be a battle. But for us, it's about establishing our postseason ranking and putting ourselves in a position to host the first and second rounds here in Stillwater. We have such a great record here at the Greenwood Tennis Center that we want to continue to play here, and that's what this postseason tournament is about. We've already won a Big 12 regular season title, the postseason tournaments all about establishing our ranking to get us to be able to play here in the postseason

Q: Do you see yourself rising in as like one of the best coaches in women's tennis so far here, just by how many accolades you're getting as a coach?

A: I mean, yeah, not too much. You know, I think, this year was pretty, pretty cool to be able to establish the record for being the winningest coach at Oklahoma State, just for all the girls that have been involved in the program, and just all the hard work that I've seen some of the kids do. But, you know, for me, it's just really all about the support. We have the amazing support here, our fans and the supporters, and people that have been along this journey with me building this program. That's what I think about. It's really not about me. You can't do this by yourself. And so, I'm just excited for the people that have supported our program to be rewarded with another successful season lasting for me.

Q: How does it feel to earn this double bye for the second straight year?

A: I mean, to be able to sit back and watch other teams play and get ready and find a way to, to get into that double bye situation and to get into the quarterfinals and give yourself a chance to be rested and ready and hopefully healthy going into the tournament for your first match, you know, you want to go to these these tournaments ready to win. And that's you know, you want to be one of the top seeds. And so we've proven ourselves that we have a chance to win this tournament. And that's what you go there for.

Sophomore standout Gracie Epps is a newcomer to the Cowgirl program and also feels this time of year is special.

Q: Just about how this team was able to turn things around just after the second match of the season and go on an 11-match win streak. But what have you thought about this season, and just how you guys have been able to accomplish so much?

A: I think at the beginning of the season, we were very we were not meshed. I mean, everyone came in like last minute. I think we spent a lot of time together off court, a lot of time together on court. I think we finally start to trust each other. And now we all know we have each other's backs and we fight for each other, and that's really the difference.

Q: What made you want to come to Oklahoma State?

A: So, originally I just transferred from University of Georgia, but the program here is incredible. Chris Young is really the reason he is one of the most incredible people I've ever met. He's a really strong Christian, a really amazing coach. And so he's definitely someone who I aspire to be like one day. But the program here also has such a good legacy as, like, how do you not want to be a part of that? You know? And then on top of that, clinching a share of the Big 12 title, like I said, it's something that this team already did last year.

Q: Getting to experience it now, I mean, how does it feel personally?

A: I mean, it's a big deal. It's really fun. I think it's it's expected of us to do something big and to come back year after year and, you know, win. So I think to be able to be a part of the titles that Oklahoma State now has, it's, I mean, it's really, really special.

Q: So, earning this double bye and being able to already advance to the quarterfinals, getting a little bit more rest than most teams. What do you guys want to accomplish there? So that you can get that first and second round here?

A: So I mean, I think it's going to be really important for us to have those couple days to kind of reset because it's such a quick turnaround. I mean, we got back two days ago, and we're leaving today, so it's important for us to be able to have that time together as a team, too. But I think no matter what we're going to come, we're going to play, we're going to bring it, and hopefully we should win.