Oklahoma Set For Action Against Texas Teams

March 25, 2002

Oklahoma Set For Action Against Texas Teams

NORMAN, Okla.- The Oklahoma women's tennis team is set to take on Texas Tech, No. 16 Texas and No. 20 Texas A&M. The Sooners will face Texas Tech at 12 p.m. on Tuesday, March 26, at the McLeod Tennis Center in Lubbock, Texas. OU returns home this weekend for their first official home matches against Texas A&M on March 29 and Texas on March 30. Both matches will start at 1 p.m. and will be played at the OU Headington Family Tennis Center.

Oklahoma is 10-3 on the season and ranked No. 44 in the Omni Hotels Collegiate Tennis Rankings. Texas Tech is 4-9 on the year, Texas is 10-4 and Texas A&M is 14-2, their best start in school history.

Sooners Go 2-1 While in Hawaii

No. 44 Oklahoma went 2-1 last week while in Hawaii. The Sooners swept Chaminade (7-0) on Monday, taking all six singles all three doubles matches. OU defeated Hawaii (4-2) on Tuesday, winning four singles matches. Oklahoma's only defeat was a 5-2 loss to Clemson. Oklahoma moves to 10-3 on the season.

Leading the Sooners

Sophomore newcomer Anda Perianu sports a 9-3 record at No. 1 and No. 2 singles, while freshman Heather Saluri holds an overall 9-4 record at No. 2, 4 and 5 singles. The duo of Perianu and junior newcomer Elena Jirnova are undefeated at 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), Central Florida (5-2), Chaminade (7-0) and Hawaii (4-2). Johnson carries a 216-106 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

Oklahoma Set For Action Against Texas Teams

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