Colorado State University Athletics
Colorado State
Wyoming
Recap: Rams honor seniors in final spring contest
4/23/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Samuel Feldman
CSU Athletic Communications
FORT COLLINS, Colo. – In front of a home crowd and with the sun beaming down, the Colorado State women’s tennis team honored its four seniors during its final spring match of the regular season on Saturday afternoon. Despite all of that, however, CSU was unable to gain momentum against the visiting Cowgirls, falling to Wyoming 7-0.
“Senior Day is always special, and it’s important to honor and thank them for working hard during their careers. They deserve the recognition,” CSU head coach Jon Messick said.
The four seniors – Maddie Buxton, Mollie Cooper, Aina Hernandez Soler and Laia Hernandez Soler – each helped improve the CSU tennis program during their tenure.
CSU was unable to garner any rhythm against the Cowgirls in doubles action. On Court 1, the Rams’ duo of Aina Hernandez Soler/Madison Porter was defeated, 6-1, while the duo on Court 3 – Maddie Buxton/Caroline Henderson – fell by the same score. Wyoming carried the early momentum over to singles play, sweeping all six positions.
“Wyoming played really well, and they played very clean,” Messick said. “Give them credit, they forced us into not playing our game. In singles, we got into it a bit but we were not playing the way we wanted to, so credit to them.”
Freshman Emily Kolbow played the tightest singles match of the day at No. 3. After leading early in the second set, she and her opponent found themselves tied at 5-5. That’s when Wyoming won back-to-back games to clinch tie match (3-6, 5-7).
While Saturday concluded the Rams’ regular season, CSU will be back in action Thursday for the opening round of the 2016 Mountain West Championship, which will be held on campus at the University Tennis Complex. It marks the second time in the past six years that CSU has hosted the event. Full brackets will be announced in the coming days.
2016 Seniors:
Maddie Buxton – As a four-year starter, Maddie Buxton has 51 total victories, including a team-most seven singles wins last spring. This spring, she has five wins in singles and five at doubles. Buxton, a native of Eden Prairie, Minn., is completing her degree in journalism and technical communication. She is a three-time Mountain West Scholar-Athlete.
Mollie Cooper – Mollie Cooper has been an integral part of the Rams’ tennis team for four seasons, including three as a player and this year as a manager after her senior season was cut short due to injury. Cooper had 48 victories in three seasons, including a doubles win against No. 54 New Mexico last spring. The native of Prairie Village, Kan., is an apparel and merchandising major and is a three-time Academic All-Conference recipient.
Aina Hernandez Soler – After transferring to CSU from Marquette, Aina Hernandez Soler has posted 34 victories in less than two seasons, including a team-most eight singles wins this spring. She is 4-2 since moving to the No. 2 position. A native of Barcelona, Spain, Hernandez Soler is studying business administration and earned Academic All-Conference honors last year.
Laia Hernandez Soler – Like her twin sister, Laia Hernandez Soler came to CSU after two seasons at Marquette. She made an immediate impact, winning a team-most 13 singles matches in 2014-15. One of those victories came in a win over No. 54 New Mexico. As a senior, she has played all 14 spring matches from the No. 1 singles position. Hernandez Soler, originally from Barcelona, Spain, is a business administration major who earned Academic All-Conference honors last year.
Doubles:
No. 1: Magdalena Stencel/Nastya Tokareva (WYO) def. Aina Hernandez Soler/Madison Porter (CSU) – 6-1
No. 2: Emily Kolbow/Celine Voss vs. Elisa Koonik/Tessa Van Der Ploeg (WYO) – DNF (4-1 WYO)
No. 3: Dorottya Jonas/Miranda Talbert (WYO) def. Maddie Buxton/Caroline Henderson (CSU) – 6-1
Singles
No. 1: Magdalena Stencel (WYO) def. Laia Hernandez Soler (CSU) – 6-1, 6-0
No. 2: Dorottya Jonas (WYO) def. Aina Hernandez Soler (CSU) – 6-1, 6-2
No. 3: Nastya Tokoreva (WYO) def. Emily Kolbow (CSU) – 6-3, 7-5
No. 4: Elisa Koonik (WYO) def. Maddie Buxton (CSU) – 6-1, 6-3
No. 5: Sanne Hoekstra (WYO) def. Madison Porter (CSU) – 6-3, 6-0
No. 6: Tessa van Der Pioeg (WYO) def. Celine Voss (CSU) – 6-0, 6-3
Players Mentioned
