Texas grabs back-to-back NCAA women’s tennis championships with 4-1 win over Oklahoma

Howard Joffe looked around the locker room last fall and must’ve figured this wouldn’t be Texas’ year. His women’s tennis team would likely cede its national championship crown to someone else in 2022.

The Longhorns’ star sophomore, Peyton Stearns, was in a walking boot. Standout freshman Allura Zamarripa had a stress fracture, too.

Sabina Zeynalova had a broken ankle along with a broken heart. She spent the fall season on the sideline and the entire spring worried about her family back home in war-torn Kyiv, Ukraine. “It was kind of depressing, to be honest,” she said.

But Joffe was darn near speechless Sunday night. Stearns, Zeynalova and Zamarripa all stormed to singles victory as Texas captured a 4-1 win over Red River rival Oklahoma to clinch back-to-back NCAA national titles. Light the Tower — again.

“It’s really, honestly, incomprehensible for me right now,” Joffe said by phone from the Khan Outdoor Tennis Complex in Urbana, Ill.

Zamarripa clinched the title on the Illinois campus with her singles victory. One year ago, she was in the bleachers as UT’s Lulu Sun closed out the program’s third national title against Pepperdine. On Sunday, it was her turn in the spotlight as the Longhorns won No. 4 in women’s tennis and the 60th national title overall.

“I was there in Orlando last year and watching, and I thought it was the coolest atmosphere ever,” Zamarripa said after her drop shot clinched a second-set tiebreaker for UT’s championship point. Zamarripa defeated OU’s Alexandra Pisareva 7-5, 7-6 (7-4).

“I knew we had a chance this season,” Zamarripa said. “Looking forward, I wanted to feel that feeling with myself included.”

Early on this season, the Sooners had the upper hand. OU coach Audra Cohen’s club won 4-1 when the two programs met on Feb. 12.

“I think in a funny way how badly it started in January and February, it took the bull’s-eye off Texas, because we were no longer the top dog,” Joffe said. “And it did allow everybody to get to work.”

But on Feb. 25, the day Texas faced Stanford, Zeynalova first learned of trouble back home. Russia started a full-scale invasion of Ukraine with indiscriminate bombings meant to sew chaos. Zeynalova said only half of her family was able to flee Ukraine while certain males are not legally allowed to leave if they are of fighting age.

How did Zeynalova respond? Once her ankle felt better, she put together a blistering 23-1 season, capped by a 6-3, 7-6 (7-4) win over OU’s Ivana Corley.

“From that point of the season, I just played for my country,” Zeynalova said. “I was fighting for my country. I didn’t really care for myself at that point because I was thinking about Ukraine and my family all the time. So, it just became a part of my life and part of my motivation.

“That’s exactly the reason why I fight on the court, because I know the people of Ukraine do the same thing. That’s really the only thing I can do for them. It’s been very rough and very emotional, but I have really great support from my coaches and my teammates.”

Asked if any family members were watching the matches online, Zeynalova said, “I’ll call them right after this call. They promised me they were going to watch. I really hope they did.”

No championship team can win without its leader. For Texas, that’s Stearns. The Ohio native with pro aspirations went into Sunday’s championship match with a 23-2 record playing on the No. 1 court.  

Stearns blew right through OU’s No. 1 player Layne Sleeth with a 6-0, 6-2 victory. She did it with such precision, Stearns quickly became a twitchy spectator while the action continued on adjacent courts.

“It’s definitely nerve-wracking,” Stearns said of watching her teammates. “You’re not supposed to watch the scoreboard, but the scoreboard is right next to my court.”

When Texas’ No. 1 player puts up such a dominating victory, it’s like an adrenaline shot for everyone else.

Bohls: Texas' Peyton Stearns is on the fast track to stardom in women's tennis

“It’s almost like you are stressing out for a test, and all of a sudden, the teacher tells you there’s an extra credit question and it’s common knowledge and it’s worth 50% of your grade,” Stearns said. “That’s the best I can describe it.”

OU’s Emma Staker got the best of UT’s Vivian Ovrootsky with a 6-1, 6-1 win on court No. 6. Texas’ Kylie Collins and Charlotte Chavatipon both found turbulence with their matches.

Fortunately for the Horns, they ran up a huge advantage having won the doubles point along with first-set wins on four different courts. Joffe wasn’t counting his chickens, though. When it was over, he looked at OU’s players and said, “Really, you guys are a very formidable and strong team.”

The Sooners were an unranked program going nowhere when Cohen was hired in 2016. Now, they’re nationally dominant and giving the Horns fits. OU was making its first appearance in the NCAA women’s final.

“It’s an honor to be here and have to play you guys in the finals,” Cohen told UT players and the crowd afterward. “We hope to continue to chase Texas and chase the dynasty that you guys have created.”

To use the word “dynasty” in the same sentence as Texas women’s tennis … well, Joffe might’ve thought you were crazy.

But that’s what Texas is at this point — a women’s tennis dynasty. Any team that wins back-to-back national championships certainly meets the textbook definition in today’s upside-down world of college athletics. This Texas team finished the season 26-4. 

“I feel like we picked it up and managed to win today,” Zeynalova said. “Very, very proud of everything we’ve been through and feel like it’s well deserved.”

Said Stearns, “It was just nuts.”

And Joffe?

“I’m over the moon.”

Contact Brian Davis by phone or text at 512-445-3957. Email bdavis@statesman.com or follow on Twitter via @BDavisAAS.