Women’s Tennis Set for Pair of Ranked SEC Matchups

NORMAN – The No. 12 Oklahoma women's tennis team is set to host a pair of ranked SEC opponents this weekend, beginning with No. 68 Kentucky on Friday before hosting No. 8 Tennessee on Sunday.

MATCHDAY BASICS

The Sooners' 2025 matches at the Headington Family Tennis Center will be open to the public and free of charge. Oklahoma follows a clear bag policy.

First serve against the Wildcats is set for 5 p.m. CT on Friday. Fans can keep up with the action through live stats or by watching on PlaySight. Fan's attending Friday's match are encouraged to wear pink. OU tennis-themed pink mugs will be available for free while supplies last.

Sunday's match against the Volunteers is scheduled for 1 p.m. CT. The contest can be followed through live stats and live video. Fan's attending Sunday's match are encouraged to wear crimson. OU tennis-themed tote bags and crimson poms will be available for free while supplies last.

LAST TIME OUT

Oklahoma took down No. 16 Vanderbilt, 4-2, at the Headington Family Tennis Center.

The win marked OU's sixth ranked win of the season as the Sooners improved to 10-3, 3-2 on the season.

Gloriana Nahum and Ava Catanzarite came up clutch, securing the doubles point with a 6-4 victory over Trinetra Vijayakumar and Valeria Ray.

In singles play, Vanderbilt tied the match at 1-1 after claiming a straight-set victory on court one. The tie wouldn't last long as Ounmuang came up with a dominant win at No. 3, 6-4, 6-0 to put the Sooners on top 2-1.

On court five, No. 74 Emma Staker extended the Sooners lead with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Sonya Macavei. The Commodores pulled back within one at 3-2, but Nahum came up with the winning point at No. 6 singles over Sophia Webster. After a dominant 6-1 first set win, Nahum dropped the second set, 6-4. With the third and deciding set tied at 4-all, Nahum won the final two games to give the Sooners the win.

SOONERS IN THE RANKINGS

Oklahoma currently sits at No. 12 in the ITA team rankings. The squad reached a season-high ranking of No. 3 on Feb. 12, their best ranking since being tabbed No. 2 during the 2022 campaign which remains the highest ranking in program history. OU's impressive resume includes three ranked wins over top-15 opponents.

Additionally, the Sooners have four players in the ITA singles rankings. Leading the pack is No. 17 Julia Garcia Ruiz, followed by No. 34 Alina Shcherbinina, No. 74 Emma Staker and No. 98 Gloriana Nahum.

In doubles, OU is represented by No. 63 Shcherbinina and Cara Mester, followed by No. 66 Garcia Ruiz and Chloé Noël, and No. 76 Mester and Emma Ghirardato.

PLAYER TO WATCH

Gloriana Nahum was named the Southeastern Conference (SEC) Co-Freshman of the Week on Wednesday following her performance in the Sooners' SEC home-opening victories against No. 69 Missouri and No. 16 Vanderbilt over the weekend.

The weekly honor is the first of Nahum's career and the second SEC Freshman of the Week honor for OU this season.

Ranked No. 98 in singles by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association, Nahum has played a key role in the Sooners' success this season. The freshman from Cotonou, Benin, went 3-0 in singles and doubles combined, helping OU secure its fourth and fifth ranked wins of the season. Her performance included a match-clinching victory on court six against Vanderbilt's Sophia Webster (6-1, 4-6, 6-4). Splitting time between No. 5 and No. 6 singles, Nahum holds an 8-1 dual record, with all but one of her wins coming in straight sets.

In doubles, Nahum went 2-0 over the weekend, teaming with senior Ava Catanzarite at the No. 3 spot to defeat Missouri's Lailaa Bashir and Zoe Lazar (6-1) before topping Vanderbilt's Vijayakumar and Valeria Ray (6-4). She leads the team with a 9-2 record this spring.

HOME SWEET HOME

The Sooners return to the Headington Family Tennis Center on Friday to complete the tail end of their first back-to-back home series of the season.

Seven of OU's nine matchups against conference opponents ranked within the top 25 of the ITA team rankings are on the road, making the Sooners' slate one of the toughest in the country in their inaugural SEC season.

SCOUTING THE COMPETITION

No. 68 Kentucky (6-7, 0-5 SEC) enters Friday's match looking to snap a five-match losing streak. The Wildcats currently have two players in the ITA singles rankings. Leading the way is No. 66 Julia Zhu, with No. 101 Zoe Hammond following behind.

In doubles, UK is represented by No. 87 Elizabeth Eades and Elizabeth Stevens.

No. 8 Tennessee (9-3, 3-2 SEC) enters Sunday's match boasting four top-25 wins. The Volunteers also have a strong presence in the polls. Their highest-ranked player is No. 8 Elza Tomase, with supporting players No. 36 Catherine Aulia and No. 103 Leyla Britez Risso.

No. 40 Vanesa Suarez and Maeve Thornton, followed by No. 43 Tomase and Aulia, No. 49 Tomase and Elim Yan, and No. 52 Aulia and Britez Risso, highlight the team in the doubles rankings.

Oklahoma's meetings with the Wildcats and Volunteers will be the first in program history, as the Sooners officially joined the SEC on July 1, 2024.

UP NEXT

The Sooners will continue conference action on the road against No. 25 South Carolina on Friday, March 21. First serve against the Gamecocks is set for 4 p.m. CT at the Carolina Tennis Center.

FOLLOW THE OKLAHOMA SOONERS

For updates, follow @OU_Wtennis on Twitter and Instagram, or like Oklahoma Women's Tennis on Facebook.