Sooners Kick Off Spring Play Against Shockers

NORMAN – The No. 35 Oklahoma women's tennis team kicks off its 2016 season Sunday at noon against the Wichita State Shockers in the Gregg Wadley Indoor Tennis Pavilion at the Headington Family Tennis Center.

The Sooners are looking for their sixth win over Wichita State in head coach David Mullins' eight seasons in Norman. Oklahoma is currently 5-2 against Wichita State in the Mullins era. Both losses came in Wichita, while four wins came in Norman. The final win came in the first round of the 2014 NCAA Tournament when No. 18 Oklahoma claimed a 4-2 victory over the No. 55 Shockers.

In its last meeting, OU took the regular season dual match with a 5-2 win at home a year ago. The Sooners were 1-2 against Wichita State in fall play with junior Mimi Fotopoulos claiming the only victory.

“Wichita State had a great fall individually. They have four players ranked in the top 20 in our region, and are definitely one of the top teams in our region going into the spring semester,” Mullins said. “There is no doubt we will need to be at our best come Sunday. We certainly do not have the luxury of playing our way into this match or into the season.”

The Sooners lost two players from last year's lineup, while the Shockers lost one.

“It is difficult to compare any results with last year as both teams will have a couple of new players in their lineup which will lead to different match-ups and potentially a very different outcome,” Mullins said. “I believe both teams are very evenly matched and it will probably come down to whoever can take advantage of some opportunities in key moments.”

The Sooners finished spring 2015 play after an NCAA Tournament second-round loss to eventual national champions Vanderbilt. The second-round appearance was their third in five years. After upsetting No. 18 Ohio State in the first round, 4-3, the Sooners finished the season ranked No. 35 by the ITA.