Colorado State University Athletics
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Utah State
Recap: Rams close weekend with loss at Utah State
4/2/2017 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
LOGAN, Utah – After winning back-to-back matches last weekend and battling tough on Friday at Boise State, the Colorado State women’s tennis team had no answers for Utah State on Sunday afternoon. The Aggies defeated the Rams, 7-0.
Despite the lopsided score, CSU was highly competitive in most of its matches and got off to a hot start in doubles play. The Rams’ No. 1 tandem of Alyssa Grijalva and Emily Kolbow – a freshman and sophomore, respectively – defeated Utah State’s top combo, 7-5, to give the Rams the early edge. The Aggies came back to win the next two matches, however, to earn the doubles point. All three doubles matches were close, with the Rams’ No. 2 pair losing in a tiebreaker (7-6 (7-2)) and the No. 3 tandem falling 7-5.
“It’s kind of cliché to say we were close when we lost 7-0, but I do feel like we were right there,” head coach Jarod Camerota said. “The dubs came down to a tiebreaker and we were right there with three three-setters. I told the team afterward we’re on the right track. We’re getting there and we’re close with a lot of these teams. We just have to keep working and keep improving, but I’d say this weekend was mostly positive.”
Three of CSU’s six singles matches went a full three sets. At No. 2, Grijalva kept up her hot play, narrowly losing to Ekaterina Tugarinova. Grijalva, who had won three consecutive singles matches entering the day, not to mention her doubles win earlier in the contest, won the second set – 6-2 – to knot the match. The final frame went a full 12 games, with Tugarinova barely nabbing the victory over Grijalva.
Freshmen Riley Reeves and Sandra Keta also went three sets in their matches. Reeves (No. 3) won the first set by a score of 6-4 but couldn’t maintain her momentum. Keta also won the opening frame in a tiebreaker, 7-6 (7-4).
Despite the losses this weekend, the Rams have shown plenty of improvement throughout the year, not to mention that their top four singles positions are played by three freshmen and one sophomore. At six victories, CSU has already surpassed last year’s win total.
The Rams now return to Fort Collins, where they will play four consecutive home matches, beginning Saturday vs. South Dakota. First serve is at noon MT at the University Tennis Complex. Admission is free.
Utah State 7, Colorado State 0
Doubles
No. 1: Alyssa Grijalva / Emily Kolbow (CSU) def. Ekaterina Tugarinova / Lucy Octave (USU) – 7-5
No. 2: Nini Guensler / Sabrina Demerath (USU) def. Riley Reeves / Celine Voss (CSU) – 7-6 (7-2)
No. 3: Maggie O’Meara / Jenna Kane (USU) def. Sandra Keta / Madison Porter (CSU) – 7-5
Order of finish: 1, 3, 2
Singles
No. 1: Nini Guensler (USU) def. Emily Kolbow (CSU) – 6-3, 6-3
No. 2: Ekaterina Tugarinova (USU) def. Alyssa Grijalva (CSU) – 6-4, 2-6, 7-5
No. 3: Monika Van de Vondel (USU) def. Riley Reeves (CSU) – 4-6, 6-2, 6-3
No. 4: Lucy Octave (USU) def. Sandra Keta (CSU) – 6-7 (4-7), 6-1, 6-2
No. 5: Sabrina Demerath (USU) def. Celine Voss (CSU) – 7-5, 6-3
No. 6: Hannah Jones (USU) def. Madison Porter (CSU) – 6-3, 6-1
Order of finish: 1, 3, 4, 2, 6, 5
