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Oklahoma State
No. 11 Women’s Tennis sweeps No. 3 Oklahoma State, 4-0
02.07.2025 | Women's Tennis
The Longhorns advanced to the quarterfinals of the ITA National Indoor Championships for the fifth-straight year.
Champaign, Ill. – No. 11 Texas Women's Tennis swept No. 3 Oklahoma State, 4-0, in the first round of the ITA National Indoor Championships on Friday in Champaign, Ill. It marks the fifth-straight year and sixth time in the last seven years the Longhorns have reached the quarterfinals of the tournament.
Texas took the doubles point with wins at Nos. 3 and 2, including in a tiebreaker in the deciding match at No. 2. They then followed with singles victories by freshman Salma Drugdova at No. 5, freshman No. 105 Ashton Bowers at No. 4, and junior No. 78 Vivian Ovrootsky at No. 6.
After doubles, Drugdova was first off the singles court with an efficient 6-0, 6-2 win over No. 69 Marcela Lopez. Drugdova won the first 11 games of the match, surrendering only three points in the entire first set with one each in the first, fifth and sixth games, including a stretch of 15-straight points. With Drugdova later leading 5-0 in the second set, Lopez claimed consecutive games on deuce points before Drugdova held at deuce for the match and 2-0 overall lead.
A short time later, Bowers pushed the Texas lead to 3-0 with a 6-1, 6-3 win over Rose Marie Nijkamp. Bowers opened the match on a 5-0 run, including three-straight deuce-point wins from 2-0 to 4-0 for two breaks and a hold. Nijkamp got one game back on serve before Bowers serve it out. In the second set, Bowers was first to break for a 3-2 lead and extended it to 5-2 following a deuce-point break two games later. Nijkamp got one of the breaks back, but Bowers collected another deuce-point break to win.
Ovrootsky then clinched the match with another decisive score of 6-0, 6-3 over Alian Zack. Ovrootsky won the first five points of the match on the way to sweeping the first set with consecutive deuce-point wins for 3-0 on serve and 4-0 to break. Both players broke to begin the second set, starting with Zack. The next three games all went to deuce, capped by another break by Zack for a 3-2 lead, but it was all Ovrootsky from there as she closed on a 4-0 run, including a deuce-point break for 5-3, en route to the team victory.
That left three matches unfinished with the Longhorns holding leads in two of them, along with a tie in the other. Senior No. 71 Sabina Zeynalova led former Longhorn Kylie Collins, 6-2, 3-3 at No. 1, freshman No. 92 Eszter Meri led No. 65 Anastasiya Komar, 7-6 (2), 2-1, at No. 2, and freshman No. 25 Carmen Herea was even No. 40 Gracie Epps, 6-4, 0-6, 2-2, at No. 3.
In Zeyanlova's match, Collins broke and held for a 2-0 lead, but Zeynalova set out on a 6-0 run with three deuce-point wins for 2-2, 5-2 and 6-2. In the second set, Collins broke first for a 2-1 lead that she consolidated to 3-1, but Zeynalova held at deuce and got the break back for 3-3. She was then leading 40-0 in the next game when play stopped.
At No. 2, the first set stayed on serve the whole way to a tiebreaker despite six deuce points that were split evenly between the players, capped by a hold by Meri to send it to a tiebreaker that had also been a set point for Komar. The second set was also on serve through three games with the last two of those going to deuce.
In the last remaining match, Epps broke first for 2-1 and held for 3-1, but Herea got the break back for 4-4, held at deuce for 5-4 and broke again for the win. The second set belonged to Epps with one game going to deuce for 5-0 on the way to the 6-0 win. Herea then moved out to a 2-0 lead in the third, including a deuce-point hold in the opening game, but Epps got the break the break back and held to even it.
Earlier in doubles, Zeynalova and Meri got off the court first with a 6-2 win over No. 41 Epps and Lopez at No. 3. The Longhorns broke at deuce for a 2-0 lead and consolidated for 3-0. The Cowgirls then held their next two games for 4-2, but Texas also held and broke for the win.
Bowers and freshman Ariana Anazagasty-Pursoo then fell by the same score to No. 86 Komar and Nijkamp. Oklahoma State moved out to a 3-0 lead with a deuce-point hold in the opening game. Texas held at deuce and broke for 3-2, but the Cowgirls finished on another 3-0 run with two deuce-point breaks.
That turned all the attention to No. 2 where Drugdova and Herea won in a tiebreaker over Zack and Kylie Collins, 7-6 (6). Texas established a 3-0 lead, including a deuce-point break in the second game. Oklahoma State then responded with a 4-0 run, including a deuce-point break for 3-2. Their second break provide them with a 4-3 lead and was the first four-straight breaks between the teams for a 5-5 tie. The teams then held serve to the tiebreaker where the Longhorns grabbed a mini-break for a 2-0 lead that they extended to 4-1. However, the Cowgirls went on a 4-0 run to the lead, and after the teams exchanged the next three points until Texas secured the last two for the win.
The Longhorns will next face No. 2 Texas A&M in the quarterfinals of the ITA Indoors on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. CT.
#11 Texas 4, #3 Oklahoma State 0
Singles – Order of Finish (5,4,6)
1. Kylie Collins (OKST) vs. #71 Sabina Zeynalova (TEXAS) 2-6, 3-3, unf.
2. #65 Anastasiya Komar (OKST) vs. #92 Eszter Meri (TEXAS) 6-7 (2), 1-2, unf.
3. #40 Gracie Epps (OKST) vs. #25 Carmen Herea (TEXAS) 4-6, 6-0, 1-2, unf.
4. #105 Ashton Bowers (TEXAS) def. Rose Marie Nijkamp (OKST) 6-1, 6-3
5. Salma Drugdova (TEXAS) def. #69 Marcela Lopez (OKST) 6-0, 6-2
6. #78 Vivian Ovrootsky (TEXAS) def. Alian Zack (OKST) 6-0, 6-3
Doubles – Order of Finish (3,1,2)
1. #86 Anastasiya Komar/Rose Marie Nijkamp (OKST) def. Ashton Bowers/Ariana Anazagasty-Pursoo (TEXAS) 6-2
2. Salma Drugdova/Carmen Herea (TEXAS) def. Kylie Collins/Alian Zack (OKST) 7-6 (6)
3. Eszter Meri/Sabina Zeynalova (TEXAS) def. #41 Gracie Epps/Marcela Lopez (OKST) 6-2
Players Mentioned
