Oklahoma’s 18th-ranked women’s tennis team lost to No. 9 Baylor on Sunday, 5-2, snapping OU’s winning streak.
The Sooners beat No. 49 Texas Tech, 6-1, on Friday in Norman to extend the streak to six games before losing to the Lady Bears.
OU (12-3, 4-1 Big 12) lost for the first time in conference play despite winning the doubles point for the 13th time this season.
“Doubles was very outstanding, and I felt going into the match that we were the better doubles team,” OU coach David Mullins said. “I wasn’t surprised that we won the doubles point, but I was surprised at how quickly we won and how decisive it was.”
Oklahoma’s top doubles pair, senior Ana-Maria Constantinescu and freshman Alice Radu, easily beat Baylor’s Karolina Filipiak and Nina Secerbegovic at the No. 1 doubles spot, topping the Bears’ duo, 8-1.
Freshmen Mia Lancaster and Whitney Ritchie teamed up to take down Baylor’s Sona Novakova and Diana Nakic, 8-3, at the No. 2 doubles position to win their seventh straight doubles match and remain undefeated in doubles matches together.
Senior Tara Eckel and junior Marie-Pier Huet rallied to win at the No. 3 doubles spot against the Bears’ Jelena Stanivuk and Taylor Omond, 8-6, completing the doubles sweep.
Then Baylor flexed its muscles in singles play, winning five-of-six.
“In singles, they were just better,” Mullins said. “I really can’t fault our players at all; give all the credit to Baylor. They were definitely the better singles team from top to bottom.”
Nakic, ranked No. 44 nationally, broke Ritchie’s eight-match singles win streak, winning 7-5, 6-1.
Constantinescu fell in No. 1 singles — 6-4, 6-0 — to Baylor’s No. 19 Novakova.
Radu dropped her match in No. 3 singles to the Bears’ 34th-ranked Secerbegovic — 6-2, 4-6, 6-2 — after rallying to take the second set.
Lancaster lost for just the second time in singles play this year, snapping a nine-match winning streak, as Baylor’s Filipiak won at the No. 5 position (3-6, 6-2, 1-0).
No. 119 Stanivuk topped OU’s Huet — 6-2, 7-5 — at the No. 4 singles position.
OU’s second duel point came after Baylor’s Omond retired her match against Maria Kalashnikova in No. 6 singles.
UP NEXT
WHAT: OU vs. No. 22 Tulsa
WHEN: 2 p.m. Wednesday
WHERE: Norman
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