Oklahoma State Women's Tennis Back In Ncaa Sweet 16, Looking For 'do-over' From Last Year

STILLWATER — Deep in Chris Young’s heart, this weekend feels like a do-over for his Oklahoma State women’s tennis program.

The Cowgirls are coming off an upset of their Bedlam rival, sixth-seeded OU, in the NCAA Championships and are set to host Stanford in the Sweet 16, beginning at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Greenwood Tennis Center.

It’s a reward for the surge these Cowgirls have been on over the second half of the season. After winning just seven of their first 13 matches, they’ve gone 15-1 since, and are one win away from the Elite Eight appearance that escaped them last year.

“I feel like it’s a do-over from last year,” Young said. “We had this place packed, round of 16, looking to advance to the quarterfinals and had some things not go our way with injuries and whatnot. 

“To get the chance to do it again is really fitting for our program, and hopefully this group is really coming of age with so many new players.”

Young doesn’t have to dig deep in his memory bank to find the emotions he felt a year ago at this time, when the Cowgirls — ranked No. 1 and the favorites for the NCAA crown — were hosting Tennessee in the NCAA Championships’ Sweet 16.

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In the middle of singles matches, OSU’s ​​Lucia Peyre crumpled to the ground with a scream that echoed through the Greenwood Tennis Center as she suffered a significant knee injury. Her teammates tried to play on, as required, but they couldn’t recover, and their hopes of bringing OSU its first NCAA title in women’s sports were dashed.

The Cowgirls got a glimpse of the environment their fans can create for a home match in the NCAA Championships, and for those who were around last year, reinvigorating the fanbase brings excitement.

“It’s incredible to see how our place gets packed every time,” said Anastasia Komar, OSU’s No. 2 singles player. “Our crowd supports us every time and it’s insane.

“I’m very confident in our team. We struggled a little bit in the beginning of the season, because we didn’t know each other with so many new people coming to our team. But now, we’ve created a bond that hopefully will help us go on to the Elite Eight.”

OSU had fallen behind early and had to rally for the upset of the Sooners, which the players believe produced a level of confidence that should carry over to Saturday.

“When we were down 2-0 pretty quick after the doubles, it was tough,” said sophomore Gracie Epps, a Norman native who began her career at Georgia before transferring to OSU this year. “Everyone collected and got behind each other. This weekend, I think we’re gonna take the same momentum and support each other.”

Young brought in four new players in January, so the team had a bit of a learning curve. And one of those players, Melisa Ercan, didn’t enter the lineup until late February.

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A freshman from Adana, Turkey, Ercan qualified to compete in the Australian Open which was held in late January and delayed her arrival at OSU.

“We knew it was going to be the middle of the season, and it was definitely worth the wait,” Young said. “That was a commitment she had made with Tennis Australia, and it’s something she wanted to do — and what a great experience that was for her.”

Ercan stepped into the No. 1 singles position and that fortified the Cowgirls’ lineup, setting them up for the second-half run that has gotten them here. 

“I think we knew once we got the lineup how we wanted it, everybody could hone in on their spot and own their spot,” Young said. “And then it’s just development. I think Komar is somebody who has developed as much as anybody. Rose is Freshman of the Year in the Big 12 and she’s really starting to build her way up. 

“And the bottom of our lineup has given us a lot of stability, and that’s been a big key for us.”

Scott Wright covers Oklahoma State athletics for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Scott? He can be reached at swright@oklahoman.com or on Twitter at @ScottWrightOK. Support Scott’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma State women's tennis feeling confident in NCAA Championships