Sooners Open Big 12 Tournament with WVU

NORMAN – The Sooners will take on the West Virginia Mountaineers in the opening round of the 2016 Big 12 Women's Tennis Championships Thursday at 10 a.m. in Stillwater, Okla., at Greenwood Tennis Center.

Last season, the Sooners opened the Big 12 Championships with a 4-0 sweep of West Virginia, before falling to No. 16 Texas Tech in the quarterfinals.

After ending the regular season with a 4-2 victory at Kansas State last Sunday, OU head coach Dave Mullins believes the team has a chance to go far in the tournament.

"We have played some excellent tennis these last several weeks and I believe we are playing our best at just the right time," Mullins said. "We have seen some great performances in the last month and I know that we will be a dangerous team heading into this tournament."

Oklahoma enters the tournament with an 8-13 record overall and a 3-6 record in conference play. The Mountaineers went 6-14, dropping all nine Big 12 matches.

"We have seen some great performances in the last month and I know that we will be a dangerous team heading into this tournament.
- Dave Mullins

During the regular season, OU shut out WVU, 4-0, at Headington Family Tennis Center on March 20. Oklahoma is 4-0 all-time against the Mountaineers.

The winners of Thursday's match will face No. 2 TCU Friday at 3 p.m. OU fell to the Horned Frogs, 4-0, on the road during the regular season.

The Contenders

Senior Emma Devine leads the way for the Sooners. The Edinburgh, Scotland, native holds a 12-7 record across the No. 2, 3, and 4 positions in singles. Making her ITA singles rankings debut at No. 105, Devine eventually moved to No. 84 after a nine-match win streak earlier this year.

In doubles play, Devine has been paired with sophomore Lily Miyazaki since March 16 against UNLV. The duo holds a 6-3 record and is currently No. 55 in the ITA doubles rankings.

Miyazaki holds a 9-7 record at the No. 1 position. The 2015 Co-Big 12 Freshman of the Year was ranked as high as No. 52 by the ITA this season.

Senior Emma Devine leads the Sooners with a 12-7 record across three positions, most recently at No. 2.

Sophomore Christie Brigante went 9-7 at the No. 4 and 5 positions for the Sooners. Brigante also holds a 9-7 record in doubles with four partners across the No. 2 and 3 spots.

Sophomore Christie Brigante has proved consistent at the No. 4 and 5 positions for the Sooners.

In her first year with the Sooners, redshirt junior Mimi Fotopoulos finished the regular season with a 6-6 record at multiple positions. The Prairie Village, Kan., native provided a crucial singles victory in last week's win at K-State to help OU earn its third win in Big 12 play of the season.

Malene Stripp held the No. 6 position for the Sooners during the regular season. The sophomore went 7-6 in the regular season.

Zita Engbroks, the Sooners' only other senior, has shined in doubles for the Sooners. The Weeze, Germany, native compiled a 6-3 record at the No. 2 position.

Oklahoma will also take junior Ann Pepper and sophomores Brooke Withrow and Simran Sethi to the tournament.

For more information about the Oklahoma women's tennis program, follow along on Twitter: @OU_WTennis.