Colorado State University Athletics
Tennis preview: Rams to compete in MWC championship
4/26/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
April 26, 2010
Complete Release in PDF Format 
By Justin Warren
Athletic Media Relations
FORT COLLINS, Colo. – The Colorado State tennis team will begin competition in the Mountain West Conference championship as the No. 8 seed Wednesday, facing the New Mexico Lobos.
The Rams (7-14, 1-7 MWC) ended their regular season Friday with a loss to Wyoming, 6-1, but hope to bounce back and earn a second-round appearance in the tournament, which features five nationally ranked opponents.
“In general we have to be more consistent as a team,” Head Coach Jon Messick said. “During the season we have had matches where some players have played well and others have not. We need to be able to be consistent on all six singles courts and all three doubles courts, and if we do that, we have a chance to go deep into the tournament.”
The Lobos (1-20, 0-8 MWC) come into the matchup in need of a victory.
“They’re going to be a tough opponent,” Messick added. “We had a close match with them last time and I think they are going to be real hungry to get a win. I expect they are going to play really hard and go after us. We are going to have to bring our best tennis to the court to be able to do well against them.”
On April 3, CSU earned a tight 4-3 victory over the Lobos. Senior Laura Neal clinched the match at the No. 1 singles position in a close two-setter, 7-6 (4), 7-5. The win was the first time the Rams had defeated New Mexico in Messick’s 21 years at CSU.
Wednesday’s match determines who will make Thursday’s bracket, with the winner set to face the No. 1 seed, No. 39 Utah. Utah is 8-0 in MWC play this season with a 16-6 overall record. The Utes have won 14 of their last 15 matches, with the last loss coming at the hands of Boise State on March 7.
First serve for Wednesday’s match is set for 11 a.m. MT.
Mountain West Conference Standings
No. 1: No. 39 Utah (16-6, 8-0 MWC)
No. 2: No. 34 UNLV (20-3, 7-1 MWC)
No. 3: Wyoming (14-7, 5-3 MWC)
No. 4: No. 71 BYU (9-12, 5-3 MWC)
No. 5: No. 75 San Diego State (12-10, 4-4 MWC)
No. 6: No. 67 TCU (7-16, 4-4 MWC)
No. 7: Air Force (16-11, 2-6 MWC)
No. 8: Colorado State (7-16, 1-7 MWC)
No. 9: New Mexico (1-20, 0-8 MWC)