Oklahoma Set For Matches in Hawaii

March 18, 2002

NORMAN, Okla.
The Oklahoma women's tennis team will be in action this week in Honolulu, Hawaii. The Sooners play three matches, taking on Chaminade University on Monday the 18th, Hawaii on Tuesday the 19th and Clemson on Wednesday the 20th.

Oklahoma is 8-2 on the season and ranked No. 42 in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association poll. Chaminade is 0-7 on the season, Hawaii is 3-9 on the year and Clemson is 6-6.

"I wish we would have been able to get outside a little bit more so we would be used to the heat," said OU head coach Mark Johnson. "But, I think we will be okay because we're in good shape. The week will get tougher as we go, we're hoping to get through those first two days and really peak as we head into the Clemson match."

Sooners Lose Big 12 Weekend Matches in Kansas
Oklahoma lost its first two matches of the season to No. 48 Kansas State and No. 59 Kansas March 9 and 10 in Kansas. The Wildcats put an end to OU's eight-match winning streak on Saturday by defeating the Sooners, 6-1. On Sunday, the Jayhawks outplayed Oklahoma to take the match, 6-1. OU drops to 8-2 on the season, 0-2 in Big 12 Conference play.

Leading the Sooners
Sophomore newcomer Anda Perianu sports a 8-1 record at No. 1 and No. 2 singles, while freshman Heather Saluri holds an overall 10-3 record at No. 2, 4 and 5 singles. The duo of Perianu and junior newcomer Elena Jirnova are 9-0 in No. 2 and 3 doubles action on the season.

Mark Johnson in 14th Year of Coaching
In his 14th year as head coach at OU, Mark Johnson began the 2002 season with two 7-0 wins over Oklahoma Baptist with his five newcomers winning all five singles matches. The Sooners have defeated then-No. 59 New Mexico (4-3), Minnesota (5-2), St. Louis (6-1), then No. 22 TCU (4-3), ORU (7-0) and Central Florida (5-2). Johnson carries a 214-105 record (.671) and led his 1999 team to the championship match at the Big 12 Tournament, earning Big 12 Tri-Coach of the Year honors. Johnson has also coached five consecutive teams to ITA Academic All-America team honors dating back to the 1997 season.

Johnson was named Big Eight Coach of the Year in 1991, 1994 and 1995 after leading his teams to a combined 60-16 record in those three years. He has coached three NCAA doubles qualifiers in Nicole Kenneally and Jenny Del Valle (1994), Monique Malan and Karla Golfin (1996) and Angela Stroup and Viviana Mracnova (2000), and two singles qualifiers in Nicole Kenneally (1994) and current OU assistant coach Raluca Gheorghe (1998).

The University of Oklahoma Headington Family Tennis Center
The Sooner women will play in the newly constructed OU Headington Family Tennis Center for the first time on March 29 against Texas A&M. After several years of playing on unfamiliar courts and not having a place to call home, the Sooners will compete on some of the finest courts in the state of Oklahoma.

The new tennis center is equipped with 12 NCAA championship courts and NCAA championship lighting. There is permanent seating for up to 800 spectators. The center is located at the corner of Chatauqua and Imhoff, directly south of the OU Soccer Complex.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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