Match Notes: Tennis returns home for 1st time 7 weeks

April 7, 2016

WEEKLY RELEASE #13 (PDF) /  ROSTER / SCHEDULE  / STATISTICS  / RECORD BOOK

Colorado State vs. Nebraska Omaha
Saturday, April 9 / 1:30 p.m. MT / Denver, Colo. / DU's Stapleton Tennis Pavilion

Colorado State vs. Northern Colorado
Tuesday, April 12 / 2:30 p.m. MT / Fort Collins, Colo. / University Tennis Complex
Live Video / Live Scoring

LONG TIME NO SEE
The Colorado State women's tennis program returns to the Centennial State this weekend, and after so many weeks on the road will get to stay there for the remainder of the season. CSU will first play Nebraska Omaha on Saturday afternoon on the campus of the University of Denver.

The Rams will then have a quick turnaround before facing Northern Colorado on Tuesday afternoon at CSU's University Tennis Complex. The match will be the Rams' first home contest since Feb. 20. Including its match against Nebraska Omaha in Denver, CSU will have played in eight consecutive road or neutral-site competitions.

The Rams are excited to return home for several reasons, including the fact that they've won three consecutive matches on their home court.

"It helps us be more relaxed," CSU head coach Jon Messick said about playing at home for the rest of the season. "We don't have to travel and check in and out of hotels, so they get to relax, which is crucial while competing. They will be more rested without travel, and of course we get to play in front of our fans."

Not only will Tuesday's match be played at home, but so will the team's remaining contests. CSU will also host conference foes Utah State, Boise State and Wyoming to close out the regular season, before hosting the Mountain West Championships April 28-May 1 in Fort Collins.

CSU and UNC will play for the 13th consecutive season dating back to 2004. The Bears won the 2014 and 2015 meetings, but prior to that, the Rams were unbeaten dating back to at least 2000. The Rams and Mavericks have not met since at least 2000, when records trace back to.

SCOUTING NEBRAKSA OMAHA

Nebraska Omaha enters the weekend with a 9-8 mark. The Mavericks will also play Denver on Saturday morning.
UNO is on a four-match win streak dating back to March 23, defeating Grambling State twice, Northwestern (Iowa) and College of Saint Mary.
UNO has had four players compete from the No. 1 position this season, mostly by sophomore Michelle Lo (3-5). As a freshman in 2015, she was an All-Summit League honoree.
Freshman Janelle Wilson (7-5) and junior Kenzie Hill (7-8) have a team-most seven singles victories apiece -- including at least one win at each position by Hill.
The tandem of Lo/Hylan Miller owns eight doubles victories from the No. 1 position (8-2).
Overall, UNO is 31-16 in doubles play.
Mike Saniuk is the head coach of UNO, leading the program since 2011-12, and the men's program since 2010-11.

SCOUTING NORTHEN COLORADO

The Bears will continue Big Sky competition this weekend with matches at Montana State (Saturday) and Montana (Sunday), before traveling to Fort Collins to face the Rams on Tuesday. Entering the road swing, UNC is 6-9 on the year.
Five individuals have at least five singles dual victories, led by senior Hilary Walters-West's 8-7 mark, primarily from the No. 3 position. She is UNC's only senior.
Junior Lea Krajcovicova has played all 12 of her matches from the No. 1 spot, going 6-6.
The Bears are 23-16 in doubles play, with all three tandems holding winning records. Beth Coton/Remi Immler lead the way with a 9-5 mark from the No. 1 position.
UNC has zero players from the state of Colorado on its roster.
Brenda Gallegos is in her 12th season as head coach of the Bears, and 14th year with the program overall. She also coached the men's team from 2005-10.

PLAYER IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Aina Hernandez Soler
Aina started her collegiate career at Marquette, playing two seasons for the Golden Eagles before transferring to Colorado State with her twin sister in 2014-15. She made an immediate impact for the Rams, winning 10 singles matches at the No. 3 and 4 positions. In the fall of her senior season, she led the Rams with six doubles wins. This spring, she has posted four singles wins, in addition to a team-most three singles wins -- with each coming at the No. 1 position.

Aina has earned academic recognition twice throughout her career, including in 2015 as a Mountain West Academic All-Conference honoree. Originally from Barcelona, Spain, Aina is studying business administration.

What they're saying...
"Aina this spring has really improved, and we have moved her up in the lineup. She is playing a lot more consistent and last weekend she played really well. She gives us a chance to win high in the lineup, and with her ability to be consistent she gives us a chance to win a close match." - CSU head coach Jon Messick

Getting to know Aina...
What is your favorite thing about Fort Collins?
My favorite thing about Fort Collins is definitely CSU. I love the university and the campus. The location is great. Having the university next to the mountains really makes a difference.

What do you want to do after you graduate?
I want to run a business. I am not sure whether in Spain or here. My parents are entrepreneurs. If I have a great employment opportunity I will definitely do that. However, I could definitely run one of my parents' businesses.

What is your favorite movie?
Titanic

What is your favorite restaurant?
Suh Sushi

Who is your favorite athlete?
I love Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer.

What would your ideal vacation spot be?
Puerto Rico or Thailand!

What is the best concert you've been to?
My four favorites are Guns and Roses, Bon Jovi, Major Lazer and Keys n Krates.

What is your favorite tennis memory?
I made the semifinals in a tournament in Spain. I beat a very well-known player that went professional for a while. I was down 6-1, 5-2 and came back.

What superstitions or matchday rituals do you have?
I bounce the ball three times before serving.

Who is the greatest influence in your life?
My twin sister! She is my everything.

Away from the court, what do you like to do?
Going to theaters or museums. I loveeee dancing, painting and reading investments.

BUILDING TOWARD THE END OF APRIL
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. With four five matches remaining before the Mountain West tournament the team still has a chance to improve heading into the team's most-important stretch. 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."

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."

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.

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.

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.

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 close the regular season against three Mountain West opponents, all at home. The Rams will host Utah State on Friday, April 15 (1 p.m.), Boise State on Sunday, April 17 (10 a.m.) and Wyoming on Saturday, April 23 (1 p.m.).

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