Sooners Set to Open Big 12 Play Against Ranked Opponents

March 4, 2002

NORMAN Okla. -

Sooners Set to Open Big 12 Play Against Ranked Opponents
The Sooners will be on the road this weekend as they open Big 12 play against No. 48 Kansas State on Saturday, March 9, and take on No. 59 Kansas on Sunday, March 10. Oklahoma is ranked No. 37 and is 8-0 on the year, their best start since winning the first 10 matches of the 1995-96 season.

Kansas State is 6-2 on the season and already 2-0 in Big 12 play, with wins over Colorado and Texas Tech. Kansas is 4-3 on the year and opens Big 12 play Friday, March 8, against Texas Tech. Match time with the Wildcats is set for 11 a.m. at the Washburn Tennis Facility, while the match against the Jayhawks will also start at 11 a.m. at Robinson Courts.

Oklahoma Defeats Oral Roberts and Central Florida
Oklahoma defeated ORU 7-0, and Central Florida 5-2, at the Sante Fe Country Club in Oklahoma City last week. The Sooners remain undefeated on the season, improving to 8-0.

The Sooners totally dominated ORU winning all six singles matches along with the three doubles matches. Freshman Heather Saluri improved to 6-1 on the year with a 6-0, 6-0, victory at No. 4 singles.

The Sooners won all three doubles and four of six singles matches to defeat Central Florida. Sophomore Anda Perianu continues to sparkle in singles play improving to 7-0 on the season with a straight-set victory. Junior Elena Jirnova and Perianu also remained unbeaten on the year (7-0) with an 8-2 victory at No. 3 doubles.

Leading the Sooners
Sophomore newcomer Anda Perianu sports a perfect 7-0 record at No. 1 and No. 2 singles, while freshman Heather Saluri sports an overall 10-1 record at No. 2, 4 and 5 singles. The duo of Perianu and junior newcomer Elena Jirnova are 7-0 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 No. 59 New Mexico (4-3), Minnesota (5-2), St. Louis (6-1) No. 22 TCU (4-3), ORU (7-0) and Central Florida (5-2). Johnson carries a 214-103 record (.675) 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 men's and women's tennis teams will play in the newly constructed OU Headington Family Tennis Center for the first time on March 1. 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

Sooners Set to Open Big 12 Play Against Ranked Opponents

Related News

Related Videos

Sponsors