Colorado State University Athletics
Colorado State
Wildcat Invitational
Rams open play at Wildcat Invitational
10/3/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
TUCSON, Ariz. - The Colorado State women's tennis team began play at the Wildcat Invitational, its final tournament before the ITA Mountain Regionals.
The day began with doubles action, in which the Rams were represented with four doubles teams. The No. 1 pair of senior Natalie Heffron and junior Adriana Wojakowska dropped their opening match in the Wildcat doubles bracket to Mississippi State's freshmen duo Louise Donaldson and Alex Corder (8-5). Saturday morning, the Rams' seniors will meet Monica Pieratt and Ana Laura Gutierrez from Texas State.
Head Coach Jon Messick paired up Aina and Laina Hernandez Soler, twins that transferred to CSU from Marquette, in the No. 2 doubles spot. The Hernandez Soler twins dropped a close match (8-6) to Jeannez Daniel and Duda Santos from UTEP.
CSU's Maddie Buxton and Mollie Cooper also dropped their doubles match, as newcomers Rebecca Costa and Madison Porter had a bye to the quarterfinals.
After a short break, the Wildcat Invitational resumed with singles action.
Heffron continues to hold the Rams' No. 1 spot after her 6-1 start this fall. Unfortunately, the native of Atlanta, Ga., dropped her opening match 7-6, 6-0 to Mississippi State's Jennifer Brown and lost in the quarterfinal of the consolation bracket to Northern Arizona's Hailey Rochin.
Wojakowska also dropped back-to-back contests on Friday afternoon. She lost her opening singles match to Arizona's Shayne Austin 6-3, 6-4 before losing her next contest 6-3, 7-5 to Texas State's Monica Pieratt.
Freshman Costa was the only Ram to advance to the winners bracket. Cota, a native of Orlando, Fla., roughed up UTEP's Anastasiya Slenko 6-3, 6-0.
A Hernandez Soler dropped her first singles match in the green and gold uniform but bounced back to defeat Texas State's Katy Collins 6-1, 0-6, 13-11. This was easily the longest singles match of the afternoon. Her sister, Laia followed the same path, losing her opening singles contest to Texas State's Pippa Car, before defeating Northern Arizona's Meike Vorschel 7-6, 7-5.
CSU's Buxton, Cooper and Porter lost both their singles matches.
The Rams will resume play Saturday morning, looking to bounce back from a slow start. Play begins at 9 a.m. MT.
