Kenna Kilgo (Texas Tech) and Andrew Harris (Oklahoma) are the Big 12 Tennis Players of the Week for competition taking place from March 24-31. It is the first career Big 12 weekly award for both student-athletes.
Big 12 Women's Tennis Player of the Week
Kenna Kilgo, Texas Tech, Sr., Crawford, Texas
Kenna Kilgo helped lead Texas Tech to a pair of wins last week, as the Lady Raiders topped No. 31 Oklahoma, 4-1, and No. 11 Oklahoma State, 4-3. Texas Tech is now 11-4 against ranked teams this season and improved to 4-1 in Big 12 play. The win over No. 11 Oklahoma State marked the highest-ranked opponent the Lady Raiders have defeated in school history. Kilgo went 2-0 in doubles and 1-0 in singles. Her win over Oklahoma State’s Viktoriya Lushova is the biggest win of the senior’s career, as she defeated the No. 15 Cowgirl, 6-3, 6-1, to help secure the team win. It is Kilgo’s biggest ranked win since defeating No. 22 Alexa Guarachi of Alabama in 2013.
In doubles, Kilgo teamed with Gabriela Talaba to earn a pair of victories, including a 6-2 upset of OSU’s No. 9 tandem of Viktoriya Lushkova and Kelsey Laurente. The Texas Tech tandem is 4-1 in Big 12 doubles this season at No. 1. For Kilgo, it is the biggest doubles win since teaming with Samantha Adams in 2013 to defeat the No. 2 Alabama tandem of Alex Guarachi and Mary Ann Macfarlane. The two wins improved the Lady Raiders to 14-4 marking the first time since 1988 that Texas Tech has won 14 matches in a season for four straight seasons. The wins moved Kilgo into a tie for sixth (74) in singles and fourth (82) in doubles in the career wins in the modern era at Texas Tech.
Big 12 Men's Tennis Player of the Week
Andrew Harris, Oklahoma, So., Melbourne, Australia
Sophomore Andrew Harris was instrumental in the Sooners’ winning weekend. Against TCU, Harris paired with fellow sophomore Alex Ghilea to deliver the clinching win in doubles for Oklahoma. The Sooners have dropped the doubles point eight times this season, but are undefeated when they win it. In singles, Harris delivered a straight-sets win over No. 37 Cameron Norrie to put OU up 3-1 and just one point away from clinching.
Harris was the star of Sunday’s match with Texas. The sophomore paired with Ghilea again at No. 2 doubles, and once again delivered the clinching win. With a split at one and three doubles, all eye turned to court two. Harris and Ghilea played a 51 minute match in front of a standing room only crowd. The match went to a tiebreak where Harris and Ghilea took points on Texas serves three times to win the breaker 7-3. The energy from Harris and Ghilea’s doubles win carried the team into singles. Oklahoma won five first sets and eventually won 4-1.
Harris also had plenty of attention in singles. Playing against No. 1 Soren Hess-Olesen on court one, Harris’s match drew plenty of patrons. Harris made quick work of the nation’s top-ranked player, winning in straight sets as the second match off.
Harris is now 12-4 this season, having only played in dual matches, and 10-4 at no. 1 singles. Additionally, Harris is 8-3 vs. ranked opponents and 5-2 outdoors.