Sooners Conclude Wolfpack Invitational

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Oklahoma women's tennis concluded the Wolfpack Invitational Sunday at North Carolina State, posting a 5-3 record against Ole Miss in singles play.

"Today, we played solid tennis on every court," OU head coach Audra Cohen said. "We fought for every point and stepped up deep in sets on most courts."

No. 72 Lily Miyazaki picked up her second win over a higher-ranked opponent as she defeated Ole Miss' No. 51 Natalie Suk. The junior defeated Suk in straight sets, 6-0, 6-4 at the No. 1 line.

Junior Simran Sethi also finished the weekend with a flawless singles record. Her third win of the tournament came over the Rebels' No. 81 Tea Jandric in three sets, 6-1, 4-6, 6-2.

"Simran was impressive this weekend with her tenacity deep in each match," Cohen said. "She's being creative and finding ways to use her game against her opponent. She also has stepped up as a leader to the freshmen. She has found her niche as a subtle, confident leader for this program."

Christie Brigante added another win, beating Ole Miss' Tereza Janatova, 2-6, 6-2, 7-5. Cohen was pleased with Brigante's play Sunday.

"Christie had a better day today. She built trust in her shots and gained confidence as the match went on," Cohen said. "She overcame some emotion in the second set and played a solid third to close out a weekend of growth."

Fellow junior Malene Stripp won the second-set tiebreaker to beat Cameron Kriscunas, 6-2, 7-6 (0). The final victory against Ole Miss came as freshman Julie Byrne picked up her first collegiate singles win by defeating Ole Miss' Brooke Stevens, 6-2, 6-2.

"Julie wanted her first win in singles so badly and today she earned it," Cohen said. "She has a lot of tools she can use as weapons and she is learning how to use them based on what is most effective against her opponent. I'm so proud of her growth over the weekend both on and off the court. She stepped up huge in doubles with Lily [Miyazaki] and will certainly be an asset for this program moving forward."

Oklahoma ends the dual-style event with a 12-11 mark in singles play at the Wolfpack Invitational.

The Sooners are back in action Friday-Sunday as they host the OU Invite at the Headington Family Tennis Center in Norman.