ITA Women's Indoors
Oklahoma State Captures First ITA National Indoor Title
by Rhiannon Potkey, 13 February 2024
Share: | |
| | |
|
|
It was guaranteed a first-time champion would be crowned when No. 3 Oklahoma State and No. 5 Michigan squared off in the ITA Indoor National Championship final on Monday in Seattle, Washington.
The thrilling match came down to the final court, with Oklahoma State’s Anastasiya Komar outlasting Michigan’s Kari Miller in three sets to halt a Michigan comeback and clinch the title for the Cowgirls with a 4-3 victory at the Nordstrom Tennis Center.
“I am so proud of this team. These girls have worked hard and they compete for each other so well and that has been the key to our success,” OSU head coach Chris Young said. “I can’t wait to see what the rest of the season brings. But this is special.”
Oklahoma State beat Stanford for the first time in program history with a 4-2 win in the semifinals. Michigan, which had never advanced beyond the quarterfinals at the ITA National Indoors, beat NC State 4-1 in the other semifinal.
NC State eliminated four-time defending champion North Carolina in the semifinals. It marked the first time since 2014 that the Tar Heels didn’t reach the final in the event.
The final was a rematch of a season-opening match on Jan. 19, when Oklahoma State beat Michigan 4-2 at home in Stillwater. The Cowgirls have handed Michigan (8-2) its only two losses this season.
On Monday, Oklahoma State jumped out to a 3-0 lead by winning the doubles point and notching straight-set wins by Ange Oby Kajuru at No. 2 singles and Kristina Novak at No. 6 singles.
Freshman Piper Charney launched Michigan’s rally by beating Ayumi Miyamota 6-3, 6-2 at the No. 5 spot. Michigan’s three seniors - Miller, Jaeden Brown and Gala Mesochoritou - all needed to win the remaining matches to complete the comeback for the title.
Brown beat Safiya Carrington 6-4, 7-6 (4) at No. 4 and Mesochoritou beat Lucia Peyre 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 at No. 3. But Komar held off the Michigan charge and clinched the championship for the Cowgirls with a 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 win over Miller at the No. 1 spot.
Oklahoma State already has four top-six wins and eight top-15 wins in just nine matches this season. The Cowgirls will have a chance to bookend their season with national crowns on their home courts when they host the NCAA Championships at the Greenwood Tennis Center.
Championship match
No. 3 Oklahoma State 4, No. 5 Michigan 3
Singles
No. 1 -- No. 17 Ansastasiya Komar (OSU) d. No. 9 Kari Miller (U-M), 4-6, 6-4, 6-4
No. 2 -- No. 5 Ange Oby Kajuru (OSU) d. No. 18 Julia Fliegner (U-M), 6-0, 6-1
No. 3 -- No. 124 Gala Mesochoritou (U-M) d. No. 54 Lucia Peyre (OSU), 1-6, 6-3, 6-4
No. 4 -- Jaedan Brown (U-M) d. No. 122 Safiya Carrington (OSU), 6-4, 7-6 (4)
No. 5 -- Piper Charney (U-M) d. No. 46 Ayumi Miyamota (OSU), 6-3, 6-2
No. 6 -- Kristina Novak (OSU) d. No. 57 Lily Jones (U-M), 6-2, 6-4
Doubles
No. 1 -- No. 13 Ansastasiya Komar/Ange Oby Kajuru (OSU) d. No. 5 Jaedan Brown/Kari Miller (U-M), 6-2
No. 2 -- Ayumi Miyamota/Raquel Gonzalez (OSU) d. Anna Ross/Lily Jones (U-M), 6-3
No. 3 -- Reese Miller/Piper Charney (U-M) vs. Safiya Carrington/Kristina Novak (OSU), 5-5 abandoned
Order of Completion: Doubles (1-2); Singles (2-6-5-4-3-1)
About Diadem
College Content
at TennisRecruiting.net is sponsored by
Diadem.
Diadem
was founded in 2015 with a single goal in mind - develop the most
innovative, high-quality tennis products in the world to help players
maximize their performance. We found that the tennis industry had
become stagnant, with very few brands that were challenging the status
quo. With a team made up of former collegiate and professional players
and coaches, Diadem set out to develop new and exciting products that
catered to players of all levels looking to elevate their game.
Diadem is committed to supporting the growth of junior tennis in
America and across the globe. Our Dynasty Team sponsorship program is
unlike any junior tennis sponsorship program in the world. Beyond
providing high quality equipment at a great price point for junior
players we are continuously innovating to improve our players
experience with the sport and to help them accomplish their goals. We
give our athletes the "pro player treatment," to equip them with
racket setups that are tailored to their game. We leverage our
relationship with hundreds of college coaches across the country to
help our players take their game to the next level. We're continuously
evolving to better support our sponsored players from coast to coast!
Connect with Diadem on
Facebook,
Instagram,
YouTube,
TikTok
and
- or on their
website.
Leave a Comment
More College Coverage
24-Apr-2024
Avila University Prepares to Launch Tennis Programs
Avila University, an NAIA Division I institution located in Kansas City, is launching men's and women's tennis programs. The teams will begin play in the fall, and the coach as plenty of scholarships to offer to fill both rosters.
15-Apr-2024
Houston Captures National Collegiate Wheelchair Title
Houston captured the team title at the 2024 ITA National Wheelchair Tennis Championships over the weekend to end Alabama's seven-year run. Arizona’s Eric Court, Alabama’s Martha Harris, Auburn’s Gabe Puthoff and Houston’s Nicholas Tijerina advanced to the Final Four Showcase.
8-Apr-2024
San Francisco Discontinues Men's and Women's Programs
The University of San Francisco announced last Friday that its men's and women's tennis programs will be discontinued following the end of this season. University officials cited the need to save money and be more efficient in athletic spending.
About Rhiannon Potkey
Rhiannon Potkey is a veteran sportswriter with more than two
decades of experience in journalism. Potkey has covered many
sports at many levels and has a passion for finding great stories.
Potkey has covered the U.S. Open, junior sectional and national
events, college conference championships and Davis Cup matches.
Potkey is currently Content Strategist for Tennis Recruiting. You
can reach Rhiannon by email at
[email protected].