STILLWATER, Okla. – The eighth-ranked Oklahoma State women’s tennis team claimed the doubles point and three singles matches to defeat the No. 31 Lobos on Saturday afternoon at the Greenwood Tennis Center. The University of New Mexico women’s tennis team is now 9-4 on the season.
“It’s never fun to lose but I am very proud of how we competed today,” head coach Erica Jasper said. “Oklahoma State is a very good team at every spot and we hung with them on every point. We don’t have much time to dwell on it as we have another tough team tomorrow in Oklahoma. But as a coach, I am super proud of the team and excited for another big opportunity tomorrow.”
The Lobos battled against the talented OSU doubles lineup, but the Cowgirls pulled ahead to tally the first point of the match. Carla Tur Mari and Maria Alvarez posted a 6-3 win over Dalina Dahlmans and Emily Olivier. OSU’s Viktoriya Lushkova and Kelsey Laurente, who are ranked sixth nationally, clinched the point with their 6-2 win over Sharon Coone and Natasha Smith.
Sophomore duo Meredith Hopson and Dominique Dulski were ahead 4-3 when their match against Katarina Adamovic and Vladica Babic was called.
The Lobos had an impressive showing in singles action against a lineup that included three nationally ranked players. However the Cowgirls hung around once again.
OSU took a 3-0 lead with their wins in the No. 5 and No. 1 positions. Tur Mari defeated Rachana Bhat 6-0, 6-0 in the No. 5 spot and Smith fell to No. 12 Lushkova 6-3, 6-2 in the No. 1 spot.
Alvarez clinched the victory for the Cowgirls with her 6-4, 6-3 win over Coone in the No. 6 spot.
Olivier, Hopson, and Dulski were each fighting back in their singles competition when the match was called off. Olivier was tied 6-6 with No. 80 Laurente in the second set in the No. 2 spot; Hopson was in the third set of her match with No. 77 Adamovic in the No. 3 spot; Dulski was down 5-6 in her second set in the No. 3 position against Karyn Guttormsen.
The Lobos hit the courts again tomorrow for a match against No. 24 Oklahoma in Norman at 12 p.m. CT.
Live scoring: http://www.soonersports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=31000&ATCLID=209918907
A full recap and results will be posted on GoLobos.com and the UNM Women’s
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