OU Earns No. 5 Seed, Faces No. 12 Kansas Thursday

April 27, 2010

Big 12 Championships Information
First Round	(5) Oklahoma vs. (12) Kansas, Thursday, April 29 at 10 a.m.
Location	Pennick-Allison Tennis Center, Austin, Texas
Information	Big 12 Championships Central
Pairings	Bracket
Tickets	All-Session ($10 adult, $5 youth), Day Pass ($5 adult, $3 youth)

NORMAN, Okla. – The 39th-ranked Oklahoma women's tennis team heads to Austin, Texas this week for the 2010 Big 12 Championships. Competition begins Thursday, April 29, and will conclude with the championship match on Sunday, May 2.

Oklahoma (17-5, 7-4 Big 12) drew the fifth seed in the tournament and will face 12th-seeded Kansas in the first round on Thursday at 10 a.m.

Kansas (9-13, 1-10 Big 12) is coming off eight-straight losses, after facing four of the conference's five ranked teams in its final matches.

“After the season we have had we are going into the Big 12 Championships with absolutely nothing to lose,” OU head coach David Mullins said. “We are thrilled with the progress we have made this year and hope to take advantage of our No. 5 seeding. Everyone is healthy and ready for the challenges of playing postseason competition.”

The Sooners beat Kansas 5-2 in the teams' last meeting on April 18 in Lawrence. The Jayhawks own the slight series advantage over the Sooners, 20-16.

Thursday marks just the fourth time OU and Kansas have met in the Big 12 Championships. Kansas holds the championships series advantage, 2-1. The last time OU and the Jayhawks met in the tournament was in 2007, OU won the contest, 4-3.

OU enters the postseason following one of its best seasons in school history. The Sooners became only the eighth squad in the program's 35 years to win 17 matches in the regular season.

This season OU has beaten five nationally-ranked opponents, has won nine matches by five points or more and went 11-3 at home. Oklahoma's five losses were all to top-40 teams, including No. 1 Baylor and No. 18 Texas.

The Sooners are led by 38th-ranked Ana-Maria Constantinescu and Teona Tsertsvadze in doubles at the No. 1 position. OU won the doubles point in 15 of 22 matches this season (.682) and won a combined 43 of 65 doubles matches (.662).

Constantinescu, ranked No. 97 nationally, also tops the Sooners' singles lineup. All six members of OU's lineup boast winning records, including five players with records of .600 or better.

Junior Maria Kalashnikova leads the team in singles with a record of 16-6 overall and 8-3 in Big 12 play. Kalashnikova has won her last eight matches and is undefeated after being moved to the No. 4 position.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

OU Earns No. 5 Seed, Faces No. 12 Kansas Thursday

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