Women’s Tennis Opens SEC Home Schedule Against Missouri, Vanderbilt

NORMAN – The No. 14 Oklahoma women's tennis team returns to the Headington Family Tennis Center for its first ever SEC home matches this weekend, beginning with No. 69 Missouri on Friday before hosting No. 16 Vanderbilt on Sunday.

MATCHDAY BASICS

The Sooners' 2025 matches at the Headington Family Tennis Center will be open to the public and free of charge. Oklahoma follows a clear bag policy.

First serve against the Tigers is set for 5 p.m. CT on Friday. Fans can keep up with the action through live stats or by watching on PlaySight.

Sunday's match against the Commodores is scheduled for 1 p.m. CT. The contest can be followed through live stats and live video.

Ace shirts, posters, roster cards and yell sheets will be provided to fans entering the tennis facility until supplies last for both matches. Free bagels will also be available on Sunday.

LAST TIME OUT

Oklahoma suffered a 6-1 loss to No. 5 Texas A&M on Sunday afternoon at the Mitchell Tennis Center.

Sunday marked the second matchup of the season between the programs as OU met the defending national champions in the semifinals of ITA National Indoors on Feb. 10, which saw A&M sneak away with a 4-2 win.

Oklahoma's lone win in singles came from freshman Gloriana Nahum. On court six, Nahum capped a 2-0 weekend with a 7-6(2), 6-0 win against Lizanne Boyer. It was the seventh straight-set victory for the Cotonou, Benin, native.

SOONERS IN THE RANKINGS

Oklahoma currently sits at No. 14 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. 17 Julia Garcia Ruiz, followed by No. 34 Alina Shcherbinina, No. 74 Emma Staker and No. 98 Gloriana Nahum.

In doubles, OU is represented by No. 63 Shcherbinina and Cara Mester, followed by No. 66 Garcia Ruiz and Chloé Noël, and No. 76 Mester and Emma Ghirardato.

PLAYER TO WATCH

Oklahoma's Gloriana Nahum has played a pivotal role in the Sooners' success this season. The freshman from Cotonou, Benin, went 2-0 in singles during OU's road trip last week at No. 11 Texas and No. 5 Texas A&M. Splitting time between Nos. 5 and 6 singles, Nahum boasts a 7-1 dual record, with all her victories coming in straight sets.

In doubles, Nahum leads the team with a 7-2 record this spring and has primarily teamed up with Salakthip Ounmuang at the third court to form one of the nation's top all-freshman doubles teams.

HOME SWEET HOME

The Sooners return to the Headington Family Tennis Center on Friday for their first home match since Feb. 4.

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. 69 Missouri (10-3, 1-2 SEC) enters Friday's match coming off their highest ranked win of the season against No. 55 Mississippi State, 4-3. The Tigers are led by freshman Gian Octa with a 7-3 mark in singles. Octa, a former U18 Indoor and Outdoor Ontario Provincial Singles and Doubles Champion, was ranked in the top 10 in the Canadian Junior National Rankings (U12-U18) and finished third at the 2022 U18 Fischer Outdoor Canadian Junior Nationals. Complimenting Octa at the top of the lineup for Mizzou with six wins each are senior Inah Canete and junior Andrea Artimedi.

Friday's match will be the 31st meeting between the Sooners and Tiers with the two sides first squaring off in 1982. Oklahoma leads the all-time series 28-2.

No. 16 Vanderbilt (10-1, 3-0 SEC) enters Sunday's match with its lone loss coming in an ITA Kickoff Weekend semifinal against UC Santa Barbara, 1-4. No. 119 Valeria Ray leads the team in singles with an unblemished 9-0 record. Accompanying Ray in the ITA singles rankings are No. 35 Bridget Stammel and No. 44 Celia Belle-Mohr. In doubles, Belle-Mohr partners with Sophia Webster as the ninth-ranked duo in the country. The tandem holds an undefeated dual record at 4-0 and reached the Round of 16 at the NCAA Championships in the fall.

Sunday's match will be the fourth meeting between the Sooners and Commodores with inaugural showdown coming in 1993. Vanderbilt leads the all-time series 2-1.

UP NEXT

The Sooners will continue conference action at home against No. 58 Kentucky on Friday, March 14. First serve against the Wildcats is set for 5 p.m. CT at the Headington Family Tennis Center. Pink mugs, posters and roster cards will be available to fans for free until supplies last.

FOLLOW THE OKLAHOMA SOONERS

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