Sooners Head To Big 12 Championships

NORMAN, Okla. - The Oklahoma women's tennis team finished regular season action with an overall record of 14-11 and a 4-7 mark in the Big 12. It marked the fourth consecutive year for head coach Mark Johnson to total 10 or more wins in a season and the 14th time out of his 16-year career at Oklahoma. OU claimed victories over ranked opponents Rice (4-3) and Missouri (4-3) and defeated in-state rival Oklahoma State (4-3) in a tight match.

Oklahoma, a No. 7 seed, begins Big 12 Championships action on Thursday, April 28 at 1:30 p.m. against 10th-seeded Kansas State at the Penick Allison Tennis Center in Austin, Texas. The last time the Sooners were a No. 7 seed was in 2002 when they beat Nebraska 4-1 in first-round action.

In an earlier meeting this year, Oklahoma defeated Kansas State, 6-1, in Norman, Okla. The Sooners lead the all-time series 19-7.

The Wildcats own a regular season overall record of 8-11 and a 3-8 mark in Big 12 play with wins against Kansas, Iowa State and Texas Tech. Oklahoma has won one of its last four Big 12 matches with an upset over then No. 55 Missouri (4-3) while Kansas State carries a four-match losing streak into championship action.

No. 2 seed and tournament host Texas awaits the winner of the Oklahoma/Kansas State dual for a 3 p.m match slated for Friday, April 29 at 3 p.m.

Last Year At the Big 12 Championships
Oklahoma entered the 2004 Big 12 Championships as a No. 3 seed after recording its best season in 10 years with an overall record of 20-3 and a 9-2 mark in Big 12 play. After earning a first-round bye, OU was slated for a match up with sixth-seeded Missouri. The Sooners took the doubles point and three of six singles for a 4-1 victory over the Tigers to move on to the semifinals. OU hadn't advanced to semifinal action since 1999.

In semifinals action, Oklahoma went head-to-head with No. 2 seed Texas A&M in a match up of similar teams. The Sooners, ranked 19th in the ITA poll, dropped the match 4-2 to the Aggies, ranked No. 17 in the ITA poll. OU lost the doubles point and only took two of six singles matches. Texas A&M went on to claim the conference crown after upending Texas, 4-3.

Seniors Finish Regular Season
The trio of Oklahoma seniors Jessica Braver, Bethany Griffin and Heather Saluri played their final home match at the OU Headington Family Tennis Center last Thursday in a 7-0 loss to Baylor. The OU seniors have appeared in two consecutive NCAA Championships, set school records and been a part of four-straight ITA Academic All-America teams.

“They have been the perfect examples of a true student-athlete and have been excellent representatives of the University of Oklahoma the past four years,” head coach Mark Johnson said.

The following is a brief look at the 2005 seniors' accomplishments:

Jessica Braver - Edmond, Okla., Heritage Hall High School
Two-time Academic All-Big 12 team member (2003, 2004) ... 2004 CoSIDA Academic All-District second team selection ... 2003 ITA Academic All-American ... Has maintained a perfect 4.0 GPA the last six semesters ... Recently honored by the OU Athletic Department as a recipient of the Athletics Director's Leadership Award.

Bethany Griffin - Amarillo, Texas, Amarillo High School
Two-time Academic All-Big 12 team member (2003, 2004) ... Named a 2003 ITA Academic All-American ... Named the 2004 Big 12 No. 3 doubles position champion with teammate Gabby Baker ... Acknowledged by the OU Athletic Department as a 2005 Athletics Council Achievement Award recipient for overcoming personal odds to achieve academic success.

Heather Saluri - Des Moines, Iowa, Urbandale High School
Two-time NCAA Doubles Championships qualifier (2003, 2004) ... Two-time All-Big 12 doubles team selection (2003, 2004) ... Holds the single season OU record for most doubles victories with 23 set with former Sooner great Anda Perianu in 2004.

Freshman Phenom
Christi Baxley has been a consistent player for the Sooners since the start of the spring season. The freshman from New Braunfels, Texas, has had an immediate impact in the lineup. Baxley has participated in all but three matches and currently holds a team-best spring singles record of 18-4. She also owns a winning percentage of 82 percent. Baxley's victories have come from all different positions with an 8-1 record at the No. 6 slot, a 9-3 record at No. 5 and a perfect 1-0 at No. 3 singles. In addition the Sooner netter has comprised an overall record of 8-3 in Big 12 play.

OU Newcomers
OU added five freshmen to its roster this season to strengthen its possible lineups. Topping that group are Christi Baxley (New Braunfels, Texas) and Christy Greenly (Yukon, Okla.), who have made an immediate impact. Both newcomers have a combined record of 27-13 at the singles positions. The two have combined for 31 percent of OU's totals singles wins (88) and 44 percent of the Sooners' doubles victories (41).

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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