South American Sooners

Martina Capurro's forehand shot flies down the line on the other side of the net, out of her opponents' reach. "Si!" shouts the Argentinian lefty as she turns to Camila Romero, her Ecuadorian doubles partner, as they both pump their fists.

"Vamos," Romero answers.

A similar scene plays out on the court to Romero and Guzman's left. Peruvian freshman Dana Guzman rockets a serve that goes untouched and she looks to her partner and fellow peruana, Kianah Motosono, to celebrate.

" ¡Dale!" Guzman cheers. "Let's go!"

Spanish words float through the spring air at the Headington Family Tennis Center as the Sooners' doubles teams, the strongest they've been in five seasons under head coach Audra Cohen, power past opponent after opponent.

Perhaps the strong bonds these four players can be explained by hours of practice and weeks of matches. They're teammates, after all. But it's deeper than that; the connections between them were built long before these four South Americans settled on the Prairie.

South American Sooners - Romero — **Camila Romero came to OU from Guayaquil, Ecuador, and was a member of the Ecuadorian Fed Cup team.**

Romero arrived in Norman first, joining the Sooners in the fall of 2017 as Cohen's first signee at Oklahoma. Hailing from Guayaquil, Ecuador, Romero had been a long-time member of the Ecuadorian Fed Cup team and ranked as high as No. 2 by the Confederacion Sudamericana de Tenis.

"I was playing at the US Open and Audra was watching me there," remembered Romero. "She made a visit to my hometown and I remember that on my birthday, I decided to make a visit. I really liked it here - facility, the program they had was good and I liked the team."

In Norman, Romero had all the resources a tennis player could dream of: an athletic trainer specifically for her team, a nutritionist, a strength coach, tutors – everything she needed to take her game to the next level while earning a degree.

She knew someone else who would benefit from everything OU had to offer. Romero had become friends with Capurro, from Buenos Aires, Argentina, a few years prior while the two played tournaments across South America.

They first met in Brazil, where they were assigned as roommates during a tournament. The Ecuadorian and Argentinian decided to pair up to play doubles and instantly found a connection. Romero was aggressive from the baseline, while Capurro had quick hands at the net. Their styles complimented each other so well that they decided to make their partnership permanent and traveled the continent while building their friendship before Romero left for college.

South American Sooners - Capurro — **Martina Capurro came to OU after her friend Romero helped recruit her from Buenos Aires, Argentina.**

Shortly after Romero's arrival in Norman and immersion in college tennis, she teamed up with Coach Cohen to recruit Capurro.

"When I came here and visited, I just fell in love with the facility and the people here."
-- Martina Capurro

"I told Audra that Marti was a good player and was looking to come to college," Romero said.

"Cami didn't need to do too much to recruit me," Capurro remembered. "We'd built that relationship so it was pretty easy. [I liked OU] because of Cami at first, but when I came here and visited, I just fell in love with the facility and the people here."

By January, Capurro had committed to OU and relocated from the heart of Buenos Aires to Headington Hall. Due to NCAA rules, she had to spend a semester in residence and was not allowed to compete, but practiced with the team. She learned to navigate this new Norman world with Romero showing her the ropes.

South American Sooners - Peru — **Doubles partners Kianah Motosono and Dana Guzman have been nicknamed "Team Peru" by their teammates.**

Motosono arrived the next fall, in August of 2018. Though she never lived in South America – Motosono was born and raised in Miami – her father is from Peru and she spent much of her junior career playing there.

"I played for [the Peruvian federation] for a bit because I wanted to be on the national team and I have a Peruvian passport," said Motosono.
Motosono had actually met – and played - Romero at a tournament during their junior careers.

"I played Cami in a practice set because our coaches knew each other. Cami crushed me – 6-0 in about 10 minutes," Motosono laughed. "Then we played another set and she did it again."

Despite playing both playing under the Peruvian flag, Motosono had never met Guzman prior to Guzman's signing with the Sooners.

"I'd never met Dana but I knew of her because she was up-and-coming as one of the best players in Peru," said Motosono of her now-doubles partner.

Guzman, the newest South American Sooner, came to OU in January of 2021. Like Romero, Guzman had been a long-time member of her nation's Fed Cup team, and even played in the 2019 Pan American games held in Lima.

Romero had met Guzman at a tournament in Peru, when Guzman played doubles with another player Romero was practicing with at the time.

They didn't know each other well, but had the opportunity to bond before Guzman came to OU because of some unforeseen circumstances brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Guzman was scheduled to arrive in August to play the fall tournament slate, but due to the pandemic and tight travel restrictions in Peru, she wasn't able to obtain her visa in time as the embassy closest to her remained closed. She began taking OU classes virtually from her home in Arequipa, in the south of Peru.

As the fall flew by, the OU coaching staff and Guzman researched options to get the freshman to Norman in time for the spring season. Then, the discovery that was almost too good to be true.

"The only embassy open was in Guayaquil, where I live," Romero said. "It was pretty crazy that out of all the other countries in South America, Ecuador was the only one that had an embassy open. Audra talked to me and to my parents and we said Dana was more than welcome to come."

So Guzman and her mother made the long flight to Guayaquil and stayed with the Romero family for a week while Guzman went through the process of getting her visa.

"It was the first time I'd really gotten to talk to Cami and I got to meet her family," Guzman said of their time together. She got her visa and returned to Peru for a short time before finally making the trip to Norman in early January.

The South American Sooners have been dominant this season, especially on the doubles front. OU has won the doubles point – where a team must win on two out of three courts – in 12 of 16 matches in 2021.

Romero and Capurro have played together ever since Capurro became eligible in the fall of 2018 and even earned All-Big 12 honors in 2019. Now in their senior season, Romero and Capurro have amassed a 45-10 record, good for an impressive 81.8 winning percentage.

"We understand each other very well on the court," Capurro said of their success. "Cami knows what I'm capable of, and I know what she's good at. We believe in each other and care about each other a lot. We want to win so badly."

"You have your teammates next to you and cheering for you and I think that really has helped me a lot."
-- Dana Guzman

Motosono and Guzman paired up in February and quickly found their groove. The duo is 9-1 and has not given up more than four games in any of those nine victories. Motosono and Guzman's dominant ways have led them to clinching five of OU's 12 doubles points this season and shutting out three opponents along the way.

"We work really well together," said Motosono of herself and Guzman, who the Sooners have nicknamed "Team Peru."

"We're opposites. I'm really loud and Dana is more quiet, so we balance each other out and we're a good mix."

The South American Sooners have been a force for OU as the program has hit historic milestones over the 2021 season, like earning the program's highest Intercollegiate Tennis Association ranking in seven years. Combined, Martina Capurro, Dana Guzman, Kianah Motosono and Camila Romero account for 44 singles and doubles victories this season while newcomer Guzman leads all players in singles (14) and doubles (12) wins.

"Everyone is so intense here, said Guzman. "You have your teammates next to you and cheering for you and I think that really has helped me a lot."

On court, the chemistry between these four players is undeniable, but off it, their bond is made even more special by their shared language and heritage.

"We get along so well," Motosono said. "Since my family's from South America, but I never lived there, I've been so interested in the culture. It's nice getting to improve my Spanish and be with people who share that."

"People say OU feels like a family and we actually are. It's just amazing here," said Capurro.

The Sooners will host Iowa State on Friday at 3 p.m. CT.