Colorado State University Athletics
Preview: Rams resume conference play on the road
3/30/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
WEEKLY RELEASE #12 (PDF) / ROSTER / SCHEDULE / STATISTICS / RECORD BOOK
Colorado State at #45 New Mexico
Friday, April 1 / 4 p.m. MT / Albuquerque, N.M.
Colorado State at Air Force
Sunday, April 3 / 12 p.m. MT / USAFA, Colo. / Live Scoring
EXTENDED LAYOFF
The Rams resume Mountain West action on Friday, traveling to Albuquerque, N.M., to face the New Mexico Lobos at 4 p.m. MT. From there, CSU will travel north to play at Air Force (Sunday at 12 p.m.) before fully returning to Fort Collins. The action is CSU's first since March 16, and its first against a conference opponent since Feb. 28.
"We're anxious to play," head coach Jon Messick said. "We've been practicing too much together. It's time to start playing some other people."
In addition to playing against an opponent, Messick is also excited to play conference foes.
"Playing conference teams is kind of what the season's about, so they're really looking forward to getting into the conference schedule and getting ready for the tournament," he said. "We beat New Mexico the last time we played them, so we're anxious to give them a go. I think they're better this year, so it's going to be tougher, but we're excited to go after it. Air Force is always tough; they're one of the toughest teams to go against. Their style of play is different and it's hard to adjust to it."
SCOUTING NEW MEXICO
- Ranked No. 45 in this week's Oracle/ITA College Tennis Rankings.
- Holds a 7-6 record this spring, including impressive victories over No. 40 Rice, No. 51 Utah, No. 56 Denver and Colorado.
- The Lobos are 5-0 on their home court this season.
- Has had a layoff since March 12, when New Mexico fell to UT Arlington, 4-3.
- Three Lobos have winning dual records in singles play, led by juniors Ludivine Burguiere (9-2) and Rachana Bhat (7-3).
- Ruth Copas/Andrea LeBlanc are 4-2 from the No. 2 doubles position.
- Kelcy McKenna is in her first season as head coach of New Mexico, previously serving as the associate head coach. As an All-America player at Arizona State, she was at one point ranked as high as No. 3 nationally.
SCOUTING AIR FORCE
- Enters the week 9-7 on the season. The Falcons host Wyoming and Colorado Mesa on Friday before facing CSU and CSU-Pueblo on Sunday.
- Has won six of its last nine contests after beginning the season 3-4.
- Has four common opponents as CSU: Air Force beat Grand Canyon and Seattle and lost to Colorado and Nebraska; CSU was defeated by all four teams.
- Junior Chloe Forlini leads Air Force with a 12-3 duals mark and 24-8 overall. She primarily plays from the No. 2 position (10-3). Additionally, she is 9-4 in doubles play. Forlini has a twin sister, Lily, who has the team's third-best singles record.
- Mary Meyers is the Falcons' lone senior, playing the No. 1 position (4-11). The Falcons play four freshmen.
- None of Air Force's players hail from the state of Colorado.
- Kim Gidley is in her 18th season leading the Falcons, compiling 239 all-time wins at the Academy. The program's second-highest total is 75.
LAST TIME VS. NEW MEXICO
The last time the Rams and Lobos met up, CSU came away with a victory that head coach Jon Messick called the "biggest win" of his career. New Mexico was ranked No. 54 nationally, giving CSU its first win over a ranked opponent in at least 11 years. Current Rams Laia Hernandez Soler (No. 3) and Celine Voss (No. 6) won their singles matches, with Voss also winning her doubles match, which secured the doubles point.
CLOSING OUT THE ROAD SEASON
The team is in the midst of an eight-match road trip, which began all the way back on Feb. 27. The Rams were supposed to play host to South Dakota State last Saturday, but 15 inches of snow earlier in the week canceled action and extended the team's road stint.
CSU is ready to play in front of its home fans again, and thankfully, it won't be much longer. Friday's match vs. New Mexico is the team's last outside of the state of Colorado and Sunday's contest at Air Force is the last true road match of the season. CSU will play a neutral-site match vs. Nebraska Omaha on April 9 in Denver, Colo., before closing the regular season with four home matches in a row, plus the Mountain West Championships the final weekend in April.
"It's going to be really nice to finish out the season at home," Messick said. "It's a lot more relaxed for the whole team and the coaches. We can sleep in our own beds and play on our own courts and just focus on tennis."
The Rams are 3-2 at home this season and are riding a three-match win streak.
PLAYER SPOTLIGHT: Emily Kolbow
In her first collegiate season, Emily Kolbow is making an immediate impact on the Rams' roster. She is one of four players with at least three singles wins this spring, and the only one to win three or more matches from the No. 1 or 2 position. Kolbow is 3-6 from the No. 2 spot before being forced to the top position recently because of a necessary adjustment to the lineup. She also has earned two doubles victories this spring.
Kolbow, a native of Hartland, Wis., is majoring in communications.
What they're saying...
"She's one of the better players on the team right now. Like all freshmen, she has a long way to go, but she's had to play higher in the lineup that we would like for her to play right now. I think she's gotten valuable experience that will help her for the rest of her career, and we're really excited to see her grow and develop, and that she has three more years here." - CSU head coach Jon Messick
Getting to know Emily...
What is your favorite thing about Fort Collins?
I love all the restaurants in Old Town, and how close we are to the mountains.
What do you want to do after you graduate?
I hope to get a good job involving Spanish and communications.
What is your favorite movie?
Harry Potter.
What is something most people might not know about you?
I'm allergic to peanuts.
Who is your favorite athlete?
Roger Federer.
What would your ideal vacation spot be?
I would like to go to Greece.
What is the best concert you've been to?
Too many to decide.
What is your favorite tennis memory?
Winning state my senior year with my team and committing to Colorado State.
What superstitions or match-day rituals do you have?
I keep a good luck charm in my tennis bag.
What is your nickname?
Jimmy.
Who is the greatest influence in your life?
My dad.
Away from the court, what do you like to do?
I love to ski .
If you could be a character in a movie, who would you choose?
Hermione Granger.
GAINING MOMENTUM
The Rams' record isn't where they had hoped it would be at this point in the season, but Messick's message to his team has been clear. CSU is just one match into its conference slate and the conference tournament is on the Rams' home soil. Since the start of the fall season, Messick's goal for his squad has been to be playing its best tennis come conference tournament time, something he still believes is attainable.
"We've played some really good teams and have been battling through some circumstances," the veteran coach said. "We're going to try out some new things this weekend and we still believe we can be at our best at the end of April, which is what our focus has always been."
FALL RECAP
CSU played in four tournaments throughout the fall season, gaining valuable experience regarding the strengths of the team. The main takeaway was the team's strong doubles play.
"Our doubles was really strong in the fall, so we're really looking forward to having some strong doubles play," Messick said in January. "That's what we're anticipating and expecting, and that'll go a long way as the season progresses."
The tandem of Aina Hernandez Soler and Madison Porter earned six doubles victories during the fall season, while Maddie Buxton and Laia Hernandez Soler won five matches. Messick was also pleased with the play of freshman Emily Kolbow, who had a team-most four singles victories.
HELPING HAND
For the first time in school history, CSU has a full-time assistant coach. Jarod Camerota brings more than a decade of top-level experience as a coach and recruiter, including last season at Northern Arizona. He also has spent time as an assistant at Northwestern, and as a head coach - either men's, women's or both - at Georgia State, Jacksonville and Mars Hill College.
THE BIG STAGE COMES TO FORT COLLINS
For the second time in six seasons, CSU will host the Mountain West Women's Tennis Championships, April 28-May 1. The four-day event will feature all nine conference teams, including the semifinals on April 30 and the championship on May 1. The Championships will be played at the University Tennis Complex, a $2-million-dollar facility built in 2011 that features 12 post-tensioned concrete courts (eight of which are lighted), in addition to large viewing areas, restrooms, a team room and storage area.
"We're excited to host the Mountain West Championships once again," Messick said. "It's a huge advantage to be in the comfort of our homes and on our home courts and not having to travel. We're comfortable playing here and we have a good fan base that gives us an advantage."
BUILDING TOWARD THE FUTURE
CSU signed one of its best recruiting classes in school history in November, inking four players - Solene Crawley, Alyssa Grijalva, Sandra Keta and Riley Reeves - to National Letters of Intent. All four are four-star recruits by TennisRecruiting.net.
"I'm really excited about this class," Messick said. "If they work hard and continue to get better during their four years at CSU, they could be our best recruiting class and help us challenge for a Mountain West title."
Messick said the things that drew him to these players were that they are great competitors, have a passion for tennis, wanted to be Rams and most importantly are great people. Additionally, all four are from CSU's main recruiting areas of California, Texas and the upper Midwest.
GETTING IT DONE IN THE CLASSROOM
Five of CSU's seven returnees were recognized during the offseason as Spring 2015 Academic All-Mountain West recipients - Maddie Buxton, Mollie Cooper, Aina Hernandez Soler, Laia Hernandez Soler and Madison Porter. Buxton and Porter were also named Scholar-Athletes by the MW and Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA).
What's more, the entire team was recognized by the ITA for holding a cumulative grade-point average above a 3.20. It marked the sixth year in a row that Messick's team has been named an ITA All-Academic Team.
LOOKING AHEAD
CSU will play a neutral-site match against Nebraska Omaha on Saturday, April 9, in Denver, Colo. Following the single match, the Rams will finally return home to play their final four regular-season matches, followed by the Mountain West Championships. CSU hasn't played in Fort Collins since Feb. 20 due to an extended road trip and a canceled home match due to weather.
