Colorado State University Athletics
Women's Tennis Begins MWC Play
3/24/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Recap: The Colorado State women?s tennis team went 3-0 over their spring break trip. The Rams headed to Honolulu, Hawaii, defeating the University of Hawaii 4-3, and Hawaii Pacific 5-1. Colorado State then headed back to Fort Collins to compete against Drake University. The Rams extended their win streak to three after defeating Drake 5-2 at the Miramont Sport Center. With the wins the Rams move to 7-5 in dual match play for the year. Colorado State will open up Mountain West Conference play against the University of Wyoming on March 27 at 11:00 a.m. in another home match.
Hawaii: The Rams edged out the Rainbow Wahines in a close match, 4-3 at the Central Oahu Tennis Complex in Honolulu, Hawaii. The Rainbow Wahine fell to 7-8 on the season and lost for the first time against a non-ranked opponent this season. The Rams won 2-of-3 doubles matches, to take the early 1-0 lead. The team of Dasha Zhurin and Emily Kirchem defeated Hawaii?s Boutet/Curtis, 8-1. The Ram duo of Tatyana Ugorich and and Alexandra Paganetti defeated Jaros/Camargo, 8-5. In singles action, Colorado State won the No. 1, 2 and 5 positions for the four points needed in the victory. Dasha Zhurin defeated Lauren Fitzgerald at the No. 1 position 6-3, 6-2. Emily Kirchem also had a victory for the Rams at the No. 2 position, defeating Justine Boutet in straight sets 6-3, 6-1. Junior Tatyana Ugorich had the third singles win for CSU defeating Samanta Capella at the No. 5 position 6-2, 6-1.
Hawaii Pacific: After a solid win over the University of Hawaii, the Rams faced Hawaii Pacific University and earned their second straight win against the Sea Warriors, 5-1. This was the first time the Rams had faced Hawaii Pacific in a dual match. The Rams won 5-of-6 singles matches in the victory, and no doubles matches were played. Dasha Zhurin increased her win streak to six in a row after defeating Dada Joksimovic in straight sets 6-0, 7-5 at the No. 1 position. Emily Kirchem also had a strong win for the Rams by defeating Davi Godinet 6-0, 6-4. Charity Malone, Alexandra Paganetti, and Tatyana Ugorich all had singles wins for Colorado State. Ugorich has won 8-of-9 matches at the No. 5 and No. 6 positions since coming back from shoulder surgery. Head Coach Jon Messick commented on his team?s performance. ?We started off very strong but Hawaii Pacific fought back and made it a closer match than the score indicated. We were fortunate to hold on and close it out in the singles matches.?
Drake University: For the first time this season, the Rams played a home match at the Miramont Sport Center, facing Drake University. Colorado State defeated Drake, 5-2, extending their win streak to three in a row. The Rams struggled early, losing the doubles point but rallied back in singles to put away a a tough Drake team. Drake University won 2-of-3 doubles matches to earn the point. The lone doubles win for the Rams came from the duo of Tatyana Ugorich and Alexandra Paganetti who won by default. Colorado State won 5-of-6 singles matches in the victory. Junior Dasha Zhurin had the only singles loss for the Rams , breaking her six match win streak. Annali de Bruyn of Drake defeated Zhurin 4-6, 6-4, 1-0 (10). Freshman Emily Kirchem added to her win streak to now five in a row, after defeating Zorana Stefanovic in straight sets 6-2, 6-4. Kirchem has also won nine of her last ten matches. Carla Pallares and and Charity Malone had big wins for the Rams. Pallares defeated Eveline Rusdianto in straight sets 6-4, 6-2 at the No. 3 position. Malone defeated Rebekah Thomas 7-5, 6-1. Tatyana Ugorich and Alexandra Paganetti won by default. Head Coach Jon Messick was pleased with his team?s performance. ?I was proud of the way our players fought back. They were a bit tired from our last trip but they fought through it and came away with the win.?
Looking Ahead: The Colorado State Rams will begin Mountain West Conference play on March 27 at 11:00 a.m. This will be the Rams? second home match of the year. The Rams are 7-3 all-time against Wyoming, and the last dual match between the teams was last year when Colorado State won 6-1. On March 30, the Rams will face the University of Northern Colorado in another home match. The Rams are 5-7 all-time against the Bears of UNC. Colorado State is 0-2 on the year against ranked opponents. The Rams have lost to No. 68 University of Nebraska, and No. 54 Boise State. Other teams ranked on the schedule for Colorado State include: BYU (#22), San Diego State (#47), UNLV (#40), New Mexico (#28) and Utah (#75).
