Cowgirl Tennis Defying the Odds With NCAA Quarterfinals Run

Oklahoma State is having a magical postseason after a nightmare ended last season in disappointment.

Last season appeared to be the year that everything would break perfectly for the Cowgirls and coach Chris Young to finally achieve the dream season. Not only did the Cowgirls win the Big 12 Tournament in Stillwater and enter the NCAA Tournament without a single loss, but they also knew they would be playing at the Greenwood Tennis Center every step of the way, with the NCAA Championships being hosted in Stillwater in 2024.

Through the first two rounds, everything went great for the Cowgirls. However, a stunning loss to Tennessee in the Sweet 16 spoiled OSU’s magical season and left the Cowgirls with a bitter finish to 2024. 

Entering 2025, expectations were lower for the Cowgirls. Of course, that wasn’t necessarily a product of the team being bad, but after losing only once in 2024, there was virtually no hopes of having that perfect of a season again.

Instead, the Cowgirls somewhat limped their way through the season, with plenty of struggles in nonconference play before steadying the ship during the Big 12 slate. With a 12-1 mark against conference opponents, including 11 straight wins to finish the regular season, OSU looked like it could potentially win another Big 12 title.

However, a loss to UCF in the postseason pushed the Cowgirls out of the conference title race and into Norman to begin the NCAA Tournament. With a win against Tulsa and an upset over Oklahoma, OSU returned to Stillwater for a Sweet 16 win against Stanford, securing a deeper postseason run than 2024.

While this OSU team has so much to be proud of and will be able to consider this season a success regardless of what happens the rest of the way, the elusive national championship is still on the table. OSU has never won it all.

In fact, this is only the third time OSU has made it to the quarterfinals. In 2016, the Cowgirls had their lone appearance in the semifinals, which ended with a 4-3 loss to Stanford in the national championship match.

While many didn’t think they would be here, the Cowgirls have had one of the best runs in program history, and they have a chance to take advantage of an opportunity that doesn’t come around often. OSU will face Michigan on Thursday night in Waco as it looks to make history once again.