Split Weekend Ahead for Women’s Tennis

NORMAN – The No. 10 Oklahoma women's tennis team is set for a split weekend of conference action, traveling to No. 8 Auburn on Friday before hosting No. 31 Florida on Sunday.

MATCHDAY BASICS

First serve against the Tigers is set for 11 a.m. CT on Friday at the Yarbrough Tennis Center. Fans can keep up with the action through live stats and live video.

Sunday's match against the Gators is scheduled for 1 p.m. CT at the Headington Family Tennis Center. The contest can be followed through live stats and live video. Sunday will mark Oklahoma's annual international match, with free international snacks provided for fans representing the Sooners' nine native countries.

OU's 2025 matches at the Headington Family Tennis Center are open to the public and free of charge. Oklahoma follows a clear bag policy.

LAST TIME OUT

Oklahoma women's tennis team fell to No. 1 Georgia, 4-0, at Dan Magill Tennis Complex in Athens, Ga.

The Sooners moved to 12-5 on the season and 5-4 in conference play with the loss.

Georgia came out strong in doubles to claim the opening point. At the second court, Salakthip Ounmuang and Chloé Noël dropped their match, 6-2, to No 74 Guillermina Grant and Anastasiia Lopata. Ava Catanzarite and Gloriana Nahum fell 6-3 to Aysegu Mert and Hayden Mulberry on court three, securing the opening point for the Bulldogs.

Singles opened with a 6-2, 6-3 Bulldogs victory at the top court from No. 1 Dasha Vidmanova over No. 26 Alina Shcherbinina. Georgia's Sofia Rojas delivered a straight-set victory over Nahum, 7-6(5), 6-4, on court six to take a 3-0 lead.

To clinch the match, No. 52 Mert defeated No. 70 Emma Staker, 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 on court four.

SOONERS IN THE RANKINGS

Oklahoma currently sits at No. 10 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. 19 Julia Garcia Ruiz, followed by No. 26 Alina Shcherbinina, No. 70 Emma Staker and No. 103 Salakthip Ounmuang.

In doubles, OU is represented by No. 37 Ounmuang and Roisin Gilheany, followed by No. 50 Garcia Ruiz and Chloé Noël, No. 63 Shcherbinina and Cara Mester, and No. 90 Mester and Emma Ghirardato.

PLAYER TO WATCH

Oklahoma's Salakthip Ounmuang went 2-1 in singles and doubles combined in road matches against No. 21 South Carolina and No. 1 Georgia last week. In singles, Ounmuang defeated South Carolina's Olympe Lancelot (6-0, 6-0) on court three after clinching OU's doubles point with a ranked (7-5) win at the No. 2 line with teammate Chloé Noël against No. 77 Lancelot and Bella Larsson.

The freshman improved her singles record to 9-5 in dual matches and sits at 10-6 in doubles, solidifying her case as one of the best freshmen in the SEC.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN

The battle-tested Sooners head back on the road for a a top-10 matchup at Auburn.

Seven of OU's nine matchups against conference opponents ranked within the top 25 of the ITA team rankings are on the road, making the Sooners' slate one of the toughest in the country in their inaugural SEC season.

SCOUTING THE COMPETITION

No. 8 Auburn (17-4, 6-3 SEC) enters Friday's match aiming for its fifth top-10 win of the season. The Tigers currently have three players in the ITA singles rankings. Leading the way is No. 4 DJ Bennett, with supporting players No. 36 Mema Refaat and No. 62 Angella Okutoyi.

In doubles, Auburn is represented by No. 16 Bennett and Ava Hrastar.

Friday's match will be the second between the Sooners and Tigers with the two sides first squaring off in 2018. Auburn leads the all-time series 1-0.

No. 31 Florida (7-8, 3-6 SEC) enters Sunday's match seeking to snap a two-match skid. The Gators are represented in both polls. Their highest-ranked singles player is No. 39 Rachel Gailis, with No. 91 Alicia Dudeney following behind.

No. 6 Gailis and Dudeney, along with No. 60 Dudeney and Bente Spee, highlight the team's presence in the doubles rankings.

Sunday's match will be the fourth meeting between the Sooners and Gators with inaugural showdown coming in 1981. Florida leads the all-time series 3-0.

UP NEXT

The Sooners will continue conference action on the road against No. 49 Ole Miss on Friday, April 4. First serve against the Rebels is set for 4 p.m. CT at the Palmer/Salloum Tennis Center.