Broncho Tennis Sweeps Ouachita Baptist 7-0

The UCO Tennis team delivered a dominant performance this past Friday, sweeping Ouachita Baptist 7-0 on the Broncho Courts.

The Bronchos controlled the match-up from the start, securing the doubles point before rolling through singles without dropping a set.

Pete Komada partnered with Mei Hasegawa to start the team off on a strong note with a 6-2 win. 

Komada was recently named Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) tennis athlete of the week. She led the way with Hasegawa providing excellent support. The pair set the tone for UCO.

Anika Ouwejan and her partner Ayaka Koga contributed another solid win, going 6-2.

The final doubles match was won by Karyna Yurchenko and Hui Soo. The pair won 6-1, giving UCO the advantage heading into the singles matches.

These wins marked the first point for the Bronchos in this competition. 

Yurchenko said, “In college tennis, that point can change everything, especially against tougher teams, so it gave us all a big confidence boost going into singles.”

Hasegawa opened singles by adding another win for Central. 

The sophomore from Nagoya, Japan, dominated her matchup by going 6-1 and 6-2.

This victory was followed by Komada. The senior from Nagoya kept the urgency high, winning 6-1 in set one. She followed this up with a 6-4 win to post point number three.

Third in the singles lineup for the Bronchos was Koga, who won 6-1, 6-1. The junior from Chiba, Japan, contributed a swift win leading into the second half of singles matches.

Dilay Ata, a freshman from Apeldoorn, Netherlands, followed with another dominating victory. She commanded the match from the start, winning 6-1, 6-1. 

Karyna Yurchenko posted another strong effort for the Bronchos. The senior from Kyiv, Ukraine, opened with a 6-4 win in set one. She kept the pressure on Ouachita by closing with a 6-2 win.  

Yurchenko said they are aiming to defend the MIAA title and earn a spot at the National Championship. 

“Wins like this help us build the confidence we need to keep a championship mindset moving forward.”

On the backend of the lineup was Soo. The sophomore from Sarawak, Malaysia, posted rounds of 6-4 and 6-2. She was able to finish off the day by completing the full sweep and achieving point number 7.

These wins improved UCO to a 2-1 record in the early season.

Central will return to its home court for matches against Southeastern Oklahoma State on Feb. 27 and Colorado State Pueblo on Feb. 28.