Women's Tennis tops Oklahoma State, advances to Big 12 semifinals
WACO, Texas -- Two rain delays and four hours and 50 minutes notwithstanding, 20th-ranked and third-seeded Texas (16-10) hung a 4-2 defeat on 51st-ranked and sixth-seeded Oklahoma State (13-10) in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Championships Friday at the Baylor Tennis Center.The Longhorns advance to Saturday's semifinals at 10 a.m. CDT where they will meet 35th-ranked and second-seeded Texas A&M, a 4-0 quarterfinal winner over seventh-seeded Kansas State.Live scoring will be available at . A number of factors contributed to each men's and women's match beginning with singles play and with only three courts available at each match.With severe weather in the forecast, the lack of a nearby indoor tennis facility and men's and women's championships being contested at the same site, each match was limited to three courts apiece with doubles matches to be played only out of necessity.Oklahoma State threatened to force the playing of the doubles point, but the Longhorns outlasted the Cowgirls in the end, rendering doubles play unnecessary. Senior Mia Marovic (Split, Croatia) put the Longhorns on the board with a 6-2, 6-3 win over OSU's Iryna Tkachenko at first singles.Senior Kendra Strohm (Tucson, Ariz.) added to the Longhorns' tally with a 6-3, 6-0 win over the Cowgirls' Lauren Simmons at the third position.Junior Petra Dizdar (Split, Croatia) staked Texas to a 3-0 lead after rallying for a 3-6, 6-1, 6-2 win at the second position over OSU's Zana Masnic. Trailing 3-0, Oklahoma State commenced a rally with singles victories at the fourth and fifth positions to pull within 3-2. The remaining match at sixth singles pitted UT's Ristine Olson against Oklahoma State's Zuzana Osinska, where Olson captured the first set in a tiebreaker.With Osinska leading 4-1 in the second set, the intermittent sprinkles at the Baylor Tennis Center intensified into a light rain shower, prompting a 27-minute stoppage of play.Osinka finished off the set when play resumed, but rain once again stopped play after the beginning of the final set. Olson, however, never lost her focus in that final set as she raced out to a 5-1 lead and captured the set and the match by a 6-2 count. "I think the length of the match may have been a blessing in disguise," said UT coach Patty Fendick-McCain, who collected her first postseason victory at Texas."If we're at a point tomorrow where we're playing another long match, we know we will be ready for it. "I'm so proud of Ristine (Olson) for controlling that match at No. 6 in the end. She kept the pace cold and calculated, and it was a great way for her to finish the match." Texas A&M dealt Texas a 6-1 defeat on April 6 in College Station.Texas and Texas A&M last met at the Big 12 Championships in 2004, when the Aggies claimed a 4-3 victory in the finals. No. 20 (2nd seed) Texas 4, No. 51 (6th seed) Oklahoma State 2
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