MU Tennis falls after earning its highest ranking in three years

COLUMBIA – Men’s basketball wasn’t the only team to take on Oklahoma State on Friday night. The Missouri women’s tennis team (5-6, 1-1) played host to the Cowgirls (7-3, 1-0) at Green Tennis Center.

In their first match as a ranked team this season, the Tigers played tough, but fell 4-3. The match was tied 3-3 as freshman Danielle Day was in the third and final set of the decisive match.

Day was broken at 3-3 and went on to lose the set 6-3.

“I was feeling a little bit of pressure,” Day said.

Day had the chance to clinch the victory for Missouri for the second time in as many matches. Two weeks ago, she won her No. 5 singles match to give the Tigers their fourth point against Oklahoma. But Day wasn’t the last player on court against the Sooners, so Friday was a little different.

Still, head coach Blake Starkey said the loss fell on the whole team, not just Day’s effort.

“There were three other points that got away before hers. It wasn’t her match,” Starkey said.

Missouri came into the match ranked No. 66, the Tigers highest national ranking in three years. Now, the team will almost certainly drop out of the top 75.

Missouri is now 1-1 in Big 12 play, and it will look to get back to a winning record on  March 21, when the Tigers travel to Manhattan, Kan., to face the Kansas State Wildcats.