Texas Tech Women Net Upset Victory Over No. 11 Oklahoma State
Led by senior Kenna Kilgo and freshman Sarah Dvorak, the No. 23 Texas Tech women’s tennis team upset No. 11 Oklahoma State 4-3 Sunday at the McCloud Tennis Center.
Kilgo notched the biggest win of her collegiate singles career, as she dropped No. 15 Viktoriya Lushkova, 6-3, 6-1.
"If you look at it, we do not get that win without Kenna," said seventh-year head coach Todd Petty. "I think she knew we needed a spark and she put it upon herself to provide it."
The win improved Kilgo to 74-47 for her career, moving the Crawford, Texas, native into a tie for sixth on the modern era career singles wins list with Amy Ryan (1988-92) and Janet Durham (2004-08).
If Kilgo was the spark Dvorak, who is rated No. 90 nationally, was the shot hear around the Big 12 Conference, as the native Hawai'ian battled for close to two hours before ousting No. 85 Katarina Adamovic, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (7-1).
Dvorak's win snapped a 3-3 tie to lift Texas Tech to its fourth Top 30 win of the season and its 11th ITA Top 75 win of the season.
"Sarah was outstanding," added Petty. "She was in the exact same position against Texas in Austin and this proves she has learned from the situation. We still have a lot to address to get to where we want to be, but they are a very resilient group."
The win improved Texas Tech to 14-4 on the season and 4-1 in Big 12 play, while Oklahoma State fell to 15-4 overall and 2-2 in league action. The Lady Raiders also extended their home dominance to 35-4 over the last four seasons.
The victory is just the Tech’s second win over a Top 15 program in school history. Then-No. 20 Texas Tech defeated No. 12 Baylor on March 1, 2012, en route to the program's first Big 12 title.
The win also avenges a season-opening loss to Oklahoma State in the first round of the ITA Kickoff weekend in January, 4-2.
Texas Tech will now host No. 7 Baylor (19-4, 5-0 Big 12) on Saturday at 11 a.m. at the McLeod Tennis Center. A Lady Raider win would put the pair into a tie for first place in the Big 12.