Iowa State tennis takes on No. 22 Oklahoma at home for the last match between the two as Big 12 opponents before the Sooners join the SEC.
Iowa State most recently lost 6-1 to then-No. 52 TCU in Fort Worth, Texas, which extended its losing streak to 11 matches, the longest losing streak since 2004-05 for the Cyclones, a team that went 1-14 overall under then-head coach Michele Conlon.
The Cyclones’ lone victory against the Sooners came in a 4-3 victory in 2001, and they have lost 24 matches against Oklahoma since then. The overall record in this matchup is 49-1 in favor of Oklahoma, and the recent success of the Cyclones could not propel them to any victories over the Sooners.
Oklahoma has a 10-5 record and a 5-2 Big 12 record, dropping its last match 4-1 to No. 1 Oklahoma State. Prior to that match, the Sooners were on a five-match winning streak, including a ranked win against No. 57 UCF. Oklahoma dropped two spots in the ITA team rankings after the loss to Oklahoma State.
Some other notable wins for the Sooners are a 4-3 victory against No. 12 San Diego and a 4-2 win against No. 5 NC State. All five of Oklahoma’s losses were against ranked opponents, including No. 7 Texas and No. 4 Michigan.
Oklahoma has three singles players ranked in the top 50. No. 34 Dana Guzman, No. 39 Julia Garcia Ruiz and No. 50 Florencia Urrutia round out the Sooners’ squad.
Guzman has spent time in the first, second, third and fourth spots, and boasts a 10-1 overall record. Garcia Ruiz has played in every spot except fourth in singles, and is undefeated on the year, going 13-0.
In doubles, No. 3 Alina Shcherbinina and Guzman started the season 3-0, but have lost their previous two matches.
Anna Supapitch Kuearum got back in the win column for the Cyclones after dropping three straight to BYU, Baylor and TCU, making her record 7-6 from the first singles spot.
Isabella Dunlap and Ashlee Narker have both struggled from their new singles spots. Dunlap in the third singles spot and Narker in the second singles spot have both gone 0-2 since the change, and they will have their hands full with ranked opponents Thursday.
The Cyclones have No. 22 Oklahoma and No. 7 Texas before they take on lower-ranked Big 12 opponents, giving Iowa State a better opportunity to put another win on the record.
Iowa State takes on No. 22 Oklahoma in the ninth-straight match against a ranked opponent at noon Thursday in Urbandale, Iowa. Live stats can be found here.
