Cowgirls Picked To Repeat As Big 12 Champs In Preseason Poll

The Oklahoma State women's tennis team was unanimously picked No. 1 in a preseason poll of Big 12 coaches, it was announced by the league office on Wednesday.
 
The Cowgirls received 81 points in the poll, putting them 11 points ahead of second-place Texas Tech. Texas is ranked third with 63 points, while Baylor (52) and Kansas (50) round out the top five.
 
The selection comes as no surprise to the Cowgirls, who return five starters from the 2016 campaign that saw the team go a perfect 9-0 in conference play on the way to the program's first conference title since 2003. The Pokes capped off the season with a trip to the national championship match, where they were narrowly defeated by powerhouse Stanford, 4-3.
 
Oklahoma State will open the 2017 season ranked No. 5 nationally, according to the Intercollegiate Tennis Association team rankings released last week. Individually, five Cowgirls appear in the dual season's first singles rankings, while three OSU doubles teams make appearances in the doubles poll.
 
The Cowgirls open the spring season this weekend, as members of the team will split up to compete at the National Collegiate Tennis Classic in Palm Springs, Calif., and the Freeman Memorial Tennis Classic in Las Vegas. Both events are set to start this Friday and run through Sunday.

2017 Big 12 Preseason Poll
1. Oklahoma State – 81*
2. Texas Tech – 70
3. Texas – 63
4. Baylor – 52
5. Kansas – 50
6. TCU – 47
7. Oklahoma – 36
8. Kansas State – 25
9. Iowa State – 14
10. West Virginia – 12
*indicates unanimous selection