Sooners Complete Home Invite with 17 Wins

NORMAN, Okla. – The Oklahoma women's tennis team finished play at the OU Invite Sunday with two singles wins, along with a second and third-place finish.

In the No. 2 singles draw, OU freshman Julie Byrne secured third place after Tulsa's Mahitha Dadireddy retired. Junior Malene Stripp secured her first singles victory of the weekend in a 6-0, 6-4 victory over Ivana Babic of North Texas.

After earning a spot in the championship final in the No. 1 singles flight, freshman Serena Nash battled tough with SMU's Elizaveta Buss, but ultimately fell 6-3, 7-5. Nash, who finished the weekend with a 3-1 record at the OU Invite, cruised to the finals by winning each of her previous three matches in straight sets.

“Today was a much better day in terms of energy on each court,” OU head coach Audra Cohen said. “We showed determination in uncomfortable moments. This weekend gave us a good understanding of what we need to focus on this fall. I'm excited to get back to the drawing board next week at practice.”

OU finished its home tournament with 13 singles victories and four wins in doubles.

Up next for the Sooners, junior No. 72 Lily Miyazaki will travel to Pacific Palisades, Calif., for the ITA/Riviera All-American Championships beginning Monday. Last year, Miyazaki lost in the second round. Miyazaki posted a 2-0 record at the OU Invite, but withdrew following a quarterfinal win over North Texas' Alexis Thoma, 6-3, 6-3 to prepare for the upcoming tournament.

Following the ITA/Riviera All-American Championships, the Sooners will travel to Minneapolis, Minn., for the ITA Central Regionals beginning Oct. 13.