Colorado State University Athletics
CSU tennis departs for spring-break trip
3/14/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
March 14, 2008
Complete Release in PDF Format 
FORT COLLINS, Colo. - The Colorado State women's tennis team will depart this weekend for its annual spring-break trip, with matches Sunday-Tuesday. The Rams are set to face Southern Utah, Dixie State and Wisconsin-Green Bay in Las Vegas, Nev.
Winning two of their last three matches, and giving a nationally ranked opponent one of its toughest tests of the season, the 3-3 Rams are looking to continue their strong play.
"The team is playing very well and confidence is high with all the players," commented Head Coach Jon Messick. "The team is starting to come together against real tough opponents, and that's the direction we want to go."
Freshman Caitlin Fluegge became the leader in singles wins for the Rams with her victory over a previously unbeaten Iowa player last Friday in Fort Collins. Her 11th overall victory took her to 5-0 in dual play and 11-4 overall.
Sophomore Laura Neal brings two consecutive singles wins into the spring-break trip, including a win at the No. 3 spot over Iowa. She has also won two of her last three doubles matches, alongside sophomore Anette Pohjalainen.
No. 1 singles player Lauren Strasburger and No. 2 singles player Hilary Tyler have combined for 18 overall wins this season and five of the team's 16 dual victories. The duo also constitutes the No. 1 doubles team and earned its most-recent wins over UTEP and Gonzaga.
Returning to outdoor competition for the first in a month, the Rams will gain much-needed practice in Las Vegas as conference play continues to approach.
"The rest of the season is outdoors," said Messick. "And it's important for us to get used to that." The trip will also allow the team to fine-tune some aspects of their play.
"On spring break, we work on different tactics in match situations with individual players." Messick said.
The Rams are 2-0 all time against Southern Utah, their most recent win coming over the 2006 spring-break trip, when the Rams won 7-0. The Thunderbirds have a nine-person roster, seven of them underclassmen, and the squad currently holds a 3-0 record. Southern Utah started off the season with a clean 7-0 sweep of Dixie State and most recently defeated Oakland Feb. 25 and Feb. 27. They will face Dominican University and San Jose State before they meet up with the Rams Sunday.
The Rams have only faced Wisconsin-Green Bay once in their history in 2005, when they swept the match in Las Vegas, Nev.
The meeting between CSU and Dixie State will be the first-ever competition between the teams.
Play is set to begin Sunday, March 16 as the Rams face off against Southern Utah at 3 p.m. PT.
