Stormin in Norman
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Women’s Oklahoma tennis advances to Elite 8 in NCAA Championship

By Chip Rouse

NEW HAVEN, CT - AUGUST 25: Aryna Sabaleka of Belarus returns a shot to Carla Suarez Navarro of Spain during the Singles Final during Day 6 of the Connecticut Open at Connecticut Tennis Center at Yale on August 25, 2018 in New Haven, Connecticut. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
NEW HAVEN, CT - AUGUST 25: Aryna Sabaleka of Belarus returns a shot to Carla Suarez Navarro of Spain during the Singles Final during Day 6 of the Connecticut Open at Connecticut Tennis Center at Yale on August 25, 2018 in New Haven, Connecticut. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /
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There’s a lot of postseason excitement around the OU campus this month with the softball and men’s golf squads taking their No, 1 ranking into NCAA Championship action, and they are the only ones. The women’s Oklahoma tennis team has advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tennis Championship.

The No. 2-ranked Sooner women advanced to the Elite Eight round of the NCAA Championship with a 4-1 Super Regionals win over Stanford in Norman on Friday. OU moves on to play No. 7 Texas A&M in the quarterfinals on Friday in Champaign, Illinois.

If the Sooners are able to get by Texas A&M in the quarterfinals, they will advance to the semifinals against either No. 5 Michigan or familiar foe Texas, the No, 4 seed in the championship.

Oklahoma defeated Texas twice during the regular season, once with the Longhorns rated as the No. 1 team in the country (4-1 on Feb. 12). The Sooners lost to Texas, however, 4-2, in the Big 12 Tournament championship final. Texas is the reigning national champion in NCAA Women’s Tennis.

The Sooners’ No. 2 postseason seeding is their highest in program history. Oklahoma’s win over Stanford in the round of 16 was the furthest they have advanced in the MCAA Women’s Tennis Championship.

In a week where two OU athletic teams, softball and men’s golf, are beginning their postseason journey in their respective NCAA Championships as No. 1 overall seeds, it is easy to overlook the accomplishment and advancement by the Lady Sooners in tennis, who have made it to the final eight in their championship run.

It is uncharted territory for Oklahoma in women’s tennis. The OU men have made it to the NCAA Championship final three times in successive seasons (2014-16) but finished as runner up all three times.

Regardless of what happens from here on out in the NCAA Women’s Tennis Championship, the Sooner tennis squad has enjoyed an historic season, going 30-2 so far and a perfect 17-0 in Big 12 Conference regular-season action.

Rackets up and Boomer Sooner!!

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