Women’s Tennis Set for Final Road Swing at Ole Miss and No. 10 LSU

NORMAN – The No. 8 Oklahoma women's tennis team will hit the road for the final time this season for a pair of weekend matches, facing No. 32 Ole Miss on Friday before traveling to No. 10 LSU on Sunday.

MATCHDAY BASICS

First serve against the Rebels is set for 4 p.m. CT on Friday at the Palmer/Salloum Tennis Center. Fans can keep up with the action through live stats and live video.

Sunday's match against the Tigers is scheduled for 11 a.m. CT at the LSU Tennis Complex. The contest can be followed through live stats and live video.

LAST TIME OUT

Oklahoma capped a 2-0 weekend with a 4-0 sweep over No. 31 Florida on Sunday at the Headington Family Tennis Center.

The win marked Oklahoma's first-ever against Florida in their inaugural meeting as SEC opponents.

Oklahoma (14-5, 7-4 SEC) came out strong after a top-10 road win on Friday, earning its 11th doubles point of the season to open the match. Florida forfeited court three in doubles, requiring the Sooners to win just one of the remaining two matches to secure the opening point. Oklahoma capitalized as its top duo, Alina Shcherbinina and Julia Garcia Ruiz, cruised to a 6-1 victory over Florida freshmen Talia Neilson-Gatenby and Noémie Oliveras. It was the second win of the spring for OU's No. 1 doubles team.

Since Florida also had to forfeit a match in singles, OU had a 2-0 lead over UF before singles play had officially begun. The Sooners only needed to win two of the five singles matches to secure victory over the Gators, and they did so in no time with a pair of straight set wins.

On court five, Ava Catanzarite earned the Sooners' third point with a 6-0, 6-2 victory over Reagan Parker.

Clinching her second match of the weekend for the Sooners, No. 70 Emma Staker notched a 6-2, 6-4 win over Noemie Oliveras on court four. The senior improved her dual record to 11-5 on the season.

SOONERS IN THE RANKINGS

Oklahoma currently sits at No. 8 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-10 opponents.

Additionally, the Sooners have four players in the ITA singles rankings. Leading the pack is No. 19 Julia Garcia Ruiz, followed by No. 31 Alina Shcherbinina, No. 51 Emma Staker and No. 121 Salakthip Ounmuang.

In doubles, OU is represented by No. 58 Shcherbinina and Cara Mester, followed by No. 81 Garcia Ruiz and Chloé Noël, No. 84 Garcia Ruiz and Shcherbinina, and No. 87 Ounmuang and Roisin Gilheany.

PLAYER TO WATCH

Emma Staker, known for delivering in clutch moments, secured both of the Sooners' victories over No. 8 Auburn and No. 31 Florida last weekend. Playing on court four in singles, Staker first triumphed over Auburn's No. 36 Merna Refaat (6-7(3), 6-1, 6-2), marking OU's third top-10 win of the season. On Sunday, she returned to the court to seal the Sooners' sweep of Florida with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Noemie Oliveras. Staker's victory over Refaat was the highest-ranked win of the season for the senior from Tulsa, Okla. With two consecutive wins, she improved her dual match record to 11-5 for the year.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN

The battle-tested Sooners head back on the road for a pair of matchups against some of the SEC's best.

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. 32 Ole Miss (12-9, 4-7 SEC) enters Friday's match aiming for its first top-25 home win of the season. The Rebels are represented in the ITA singles rankings by No. 112 Ludmila Kareisová.

In doubles, Kareisová teams up with Anaëlle Leclercq-Ficher to form the nation's 28th-ranked duo.

Friday's match will be the fourth between the Sooners and Rebels with the two sides first squaring off in 1981. Ole Miss leads the all-time series 2-1.

No. 10 LSU (18-4, 8-3 SEC) enters Sunday's match boasting an 8-1 home record. The Tigers have a strong presence in the polls. Their highest-ranked singles player is No. 24 Cadence Brace, with supporting players No. 47 Kayla Cross and No. 118 Gaby Rivera.

No. 7 Brace and Cross, No. 36 Tilwith Di Girolami and Anita Sahdiieva, and No. 70 Sahdiieva and Kenna Erickson highlight the team's presence in the doubles rankings.

Sunday's match will be the third meeting between the Sooners and Tigers with inaugural showdown coming in 1980. LSU leads the all-time series 2-0.

UP NEXT

The Sooners will return to Norman to begin their final homestand against No. 73 Mississippi State on Friday, April 11. First serve is set for 5 p.m. CT at the Headington Family Tennis Center. The match will feature Oklahoma's annual Bark in the Park event, allowing fans to enjoy the action alongside their canine companions. A pre-match hot dog cookout will also be provided courtesy of OU tennis.

FOLLOW THE OKLAHOMA SOONERS

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