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Tennis recap: CSU drops 6-1 decision at Utah
4/9/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
April 9, 2011
By Zak Gilbert
Athletic Media Relations
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Colorado State sustained a 6-1 loss to longtime conference rival Utah, the nation’s No. 59-ranked team, in women’s tennis action Saturday afternoon at the Eccles Tennis Center.
The loss, CSU’s fourth straight, marked the last regular-season dual between the teams as members of the Mountain West Conference. Utah (10-8, 4-0 MWC) moves to the new Pac-12 next season. The Rams (7-9, 0-4 MWC), who had won five of their previous six duals prior to opening conference play last weekend, are still searching for their first conference win.
Senior Melissa Holzinger, the only CSU player to win her singles match in a 6-1 loss at BYU Friday, again secured the Rams’ only victory on Saturday at Utah. She rebounded from a first-set loss to outlast the Utes’ Lauren Keller in three sets, 3-6, 6-3, 6-1. With the two wins this weekend, she improved her season singles record to 9-4.
“Holzinger is playing very well right now,” said Head Coach Jon Messick. “We just have to get the rest of the lineup on the same note, on her level.”
Utah’s Sarah Pham took the rubber set of a see-saw battle at No. 2 singles, turning away CSU’s Tori Arneson, 6-1, 1-6, 6-0, to clinch the victory for the Utes.
Each of the three doubles matches to begin the day were close, despite each contest narrowly falling in the Utes’ favor.
“Overall as a team we played better today compared to yesterday,” Messick said, referring to Friday’s loss at BYU. “All the way down the line, we were more competitive in our matches today, in singles and doubles. We were better. It was a better effort.”
CSU could see Utah again when the Rams host the 2011 MWC championship tournament April 27-30 at the program’s new $2 million University Tennis Complex.
The Rams, who travel home Saturday night, have only three days’ rest before a quick break from conference action Tuesday in Greeley, Colo., where they meet Northern Colorado in a 2 p.m. dual. CSU then dives back in conference play Friday and Saturday, with neutral battles against New Mexico and TCU, respectively, in Colorado Springs, Colo.
Messick sees the short break as a positive.
“It’ll be good for us to compete again right away,” he said. “We were a little better today than yesterday, and if we can continue to improve Tuesday, it’ll help us be sharper for our next few conference matches. It’s good for us to keep competing Tuesday against UNC, compared to just another day of practice. Hopefully, we’ll have better results next weekend.”
Saturday’s results (No. 59 Utah 6, CSU 1)
Doubles
1. Evgenia Kryuchkova/Lexi Provancha (Utah) def. Tori Arneson/Caitlin Fluegge (CSU) 8-6
2. Sarah Pham/Lucia Kovarcikova (Utah) def. Lauren Mulhern/Kaley Schultz (CSU) 8-5
3. Paige Miles/Lauren Keller (Utah) def. Melissa Holzinger/Veronika Wojakowska (CSU) 8-6
Order of finish: 3,1,2
Singles
1. #108 Evgenia Kryuchkova (Utah) def. Caitlin Fluegge (CSU) 6-1, 6-4
2. Sarah Pham (Utah) def. Tori Arneson (CSU) 6-1, 1-6, 6-0
3. Lucia Kovarcikova (Utah) def. Lauren Mulhern (CSU) 6-4, 6-3
4. Paige Miles (Utah) def. Veronika Wojakowska (CSU) 6-3, 6-1
5. Lexi Provancha (Utah) def. Kaley Schultz (CSU) 6-4, 6-2
6. Melissa Holzinger (CSU) def. Lauren Keller (Utah) 3-6, 6-3, 6-1
Order of finish: 1,4,2,3,5,6
Players Mentioned
