Event Page | Cracked Racquets Coverage
SEATTLE, Wash. – History was made Monday at the 2024 ITA Division I Women’s National Team Indoor Championships as Oklahoma State was crowned national champions for the first time in program history.
Beginning with doubles, the Cowgirls got off to a fast start, winning 6-2 on court one and 6-3 on court two to take the early lead heading into singles play. When these two teams played earlier in the season, Oklahoma State would also take the doubles point on that occasion before winning 4-2 in what was the Cowgirls season opener.
In singles, things would get much more interesting as neither team was willing to give an inch, and as fate would have it, one of our most exciting matches of the entire championship played out in the finals.
Striking first in singles, Ange Oby Kajuru won 6-0, 6-1 on court No. 2 to extend the lead to 2-0 just before Kristina Novak closed out a 6-2, 6-4 win on court No. 6 to bring Oklahoma State just one match away from victory.
With their backs against the wall, Michigan responded taking the next three points from courts No. 3, No. 4, and No. 5 to draw things level. Jaeden Brown and Piper Charney each won in straight sets for the Wolverines, while Gala Mesochoritou won in three sets to give Michigan a shot at taking the title.
Now tied at 3-3, the match came down to court No. 1 as Anastasiya Komar and Kari Miller were locked into a blow-for-blow battle between two Top-20 ranked players to decide the match. Having split sets, the decisive third set would determine it all, and after Komar broke Miller’s serve, the big server relied on her power to push the Cowgirls over the finish line.
The championship marked the first ITA National Team Indoor Title in program history for the Cowgirls, and Oklahoma State is now 9-0 on the young season and already has eight Top-15 wins on the season.
Box Score
Doubles:
No. 13 Anastasiya Komar and Ange Oby Kajuru (OSU) def. No. 5 Kari Miller and Jaeden Brown (MICH), 6-2
Ayumi Miyamoto and Raquel Gonzalez (OSU) def. Anna Jones and Lily Ross (MICH), 6-3
Safiya Carrington and Kristina Novak (OSU) v. Piper Charney and Reese Miller (MICH), 5-5, unfinished
Singles:
No. 17 Anastasiya Komar (OSU) def. No. 9 Kari Miller (MICH), 4-6, 6-4, 6-4
No. 5 Ange Oby Kajuru (OSU) def. No. 18 Julia Fliegner (MICH), 6-0, 6-1
No. 124 Gala Mesochoritou (MICH) def. No. 54 Lucia Peyre (OSU), 1-6, 6-3, 6-4
Jaeden Brown (MICH) def. No. 122 Safiya Carrington (OSU), 6-4, 7-6(7-4)
Piper Charney (MICH) def. No. 46 Ayumi Miyamoto (OSU), 6-3, 6-2
Kristina Novak (OSU) def. No. 57 Lily Jones (MICH), 6-2, 6-4
