Women’s Tennis to Open SEC Play at Arkansas

NORMAN – The No. 12 Oklahoma women's tennis team is set to kick off SEC play on the road against Arkansas on Saturday at the Billingsley Tennis Center in Fayetteville, Ark.

MATCHDAY BASICS

First serve against the Razorbacks is set for 4 p.m. CT.

Fans can keep up with the action through live stats or by watching on PlaySight.

LAST TIME OUT

Oklahoma suffered a 4-2 loss to No. 2 Texas A&M in the semifinals of the 2025 ITA National Team Indoor Championship on Feb. 10 at Northwestern's Combe Tennis Center. Following back-to-back top-10 wins, the match against the Aggies marked the second time the Sooners reached the semifinals of ITA National Team Indoors since their inaugural appearance in 2022.

Both of Oklahoma's straight-set wins in singles came from seniors in the back-half of the lineup. On court six, Ava Catanzarite secured the 6-2, 6-2 win against Lexington Reed. In similar fashion, Emma Staker capped a 3-0 week by knocking off Lucciana Perez, 6-2, 6-2.

SOONERS IN THE RANKINGS

Oklahoma currently sits at No. 12 in the ITA team rankings. The squad reached a season-high ranking of No. 3 on Feb. 12, their best ranking since being tabbed No. 2 during the 2022 campaign which remains the highest ranking in program history. OU's impressive resume includes three ranked wins over top-15 opponents.

Additionally, the Sooners have four players in the ITA singles rankings. Leading the pack is No. 12 Julia Garcia Ruiz, followed by No. 33 Alina Shcherbinina, No. 64 Emma Staker and No. 105 Ava Catanzarite.

In doubles, OU is represented by No. 40 Shcherbinina and Cara Mester, followed by No. 42 Garcia Ruiz and Chloé Noël, No. 53 Salakthip Ounmuang and Gloriana Nahum, and No. 83 Ounmuang and Roisin Gilheany.

PLAYER TO WATCH

Oklahoma's Ava Catanzarite has been one of the most productive players in college tennis. The senior from Pittsburgh, Pa., has yet to drop a set in singles this spring as she boasts a team-leading 6-0 dual record.

Primarily playing from the No. 6 singles position, Catanzarite has outscored opponents 73-21 to start the season. In the fall, Catanzarite collected 13 wins and a singles title at the TCU Jae Foundation Invitational.

NEW CONFERENCE, SAME GOALS

The 2024-25 season marks Oklahoma's inaugural campaign in the Southeastern Conference (SEC), officially joining the league on July 1, 2024. Saturday is Oklahoma's first match in the SEC. The Sooners were picked to finish sixth in the conference's preseason coaches' poll.

In Oklahoma's 28 years in the Big 12 Conference, Oklahoma reached the NCAA Tournament 14 times, including five times under current head coach Audra Cohen. All-time, the Sooners accumulated 33 All-Big 12 selections between singles and doubles.

SCOUTING ARKANSAS AND SERIES HISTORY

No. 62 Arkansas enters Saturday's match with a 3-3 ledger with losses coming against No. 4 Oklahoma State (1-4), Wisconsin (3-4) and Kansas (3-4). The Razorbacks are led by a pair of juniors in No. 93 Carolina Gomez Alonso and Anet Koskel, who are a combined 8-3 in dual matches. In doubles, the duo of Koskel and Grace O'Donnell are ranked No. 78 in the latest ITA doubles rankings.

Saturday's match will be the 31st meeting between the Sooners and Razorbacks with the two sides first squaring off in 1976. Arkansas leads the all-time series 19-11.

UP NEXT

The Sooners will continue SEC play on the road at No. 11 Texas on Friday, Feb. 28. First serve against the Longhorns is set for 2 p.m. CT at the Texas Tennis Center.

FOLLOW THE OKLAHOMA SOONERS

For updates, follow @OU_Wtennis on Twitter and Instagram, or like Oklahoma Women's Tennis on Facebook.