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What a run it was for the Oklahoma State Women's Tennis team. After knocking off 1st-ranked Cal in yesterday's national semifinal, the Cowgirls met Stanford, a 17-time national champion.
The Cowgirls earned a point over Stanford in doubles to take an early 1-0 lead. They would need just three match wins in singles to bring home the national championship.
Katarina Adamovic took down Stanford's Carol Zhao 6-4 and 7-5 in straight sets, giving the Cowgirls a 2-1 lead.
#OKState's Katarina Adamovic completes a straight-set win at No. 1 singles. OSU leads Stanford 2-1. pic.twitter.com/zhGIY1LXrI
— Mark Cooper (@mark_cooperjr) May 24, 2016
Viktoriya Lushkova then won her match 4-6, 6-4, and 4-1 to give the Cowgirls a 3-1 lead.
Viktoriya Lushkova makes it 3-1 #OKState. Needs one more win to clinch. Stanford leads the remaining three. pic.twitter.com/AqjKkbFTRI
— Mark Cooper (@mark_cooperjr) May 24, 2016
The Cowgirls would need just one more match victory to win it all, but could not get it. It all came down to Vladica Babic on Court 2, as Stanford made a valiant comeback to tie the match at 3-3. Babic was down 5-2 at one point in the match, but made a valiant comeback of her own to tie it at 5-5. A double fault at 5-5 would send Babic to a make-or-break match point. In the end, Babic fell 7-5, and Stanford won their 18th national championship.
This was a cinderella story of sorts for the Cowgirls. Not many expected a run at the championship, and it would've been impossible for the Cowgirls to get any closer to it. All in all, this was a valiant effort from the Cowgirls against a perennial heavyweight in the world of collegiate tennis.
Thank you @CowgirlTennis for an incredible season. We’re so proud of you! #okstate #gopokes pic.twitter.com/FFTfYrhPD7
— Oklahoma State (@OSUAthletics) May 24, 2016