Colorado State University Athletics
Sunday, October 17
Las Vegas, NV
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ITA Regionals
Buzkova/Mihaljevic Capture ITA Regional Crown
10/17/2021 2:10:00 PM | Women's Tennis
Victory came over teammates Richterova/Dalla-Bona
LAS VEGAS, Nev. – As amazing of a day as it was for the program at the finals of the ITA Mountain Regional, one person in particular was put in a rather unenviable position.
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Head coach Mai-Ly Tran. She took the job at Colorado State with the intention of making some history with the women's tennis program, and that was achieved this week in the tournament held at the Fertitta Tennis Complex on the UNLV Campus. Not only did the Rams have a doubles team reach the semifinals for the first time, they had two. Then they doubled down and both made the finals, guaranteeing CSU would crown a champion in the field for the first time.
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But as a coach, Tran had to remove herself from the equation.
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"Today was a difficult day," she said. "As a coach, we are invested in our players and experience their successes and growth. Today, I experienced very different emotions, but it's important to remember that to have two teams at this stage is a huge achievement in itself."
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So all she could do was sit back and watch as Radka Buzkova and Matea Mihaljevic played teammates Sarka Richterova and Somer Dalla-Bona for the title. Buzkova and Mihaljevic would prevail in straight sets, 6-2, 6-4.
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The twosome has been together all fall, and they have a tournament title and another prior finals appearance to show for their growth as they entered the week with a 6-1 mark. To reach the finals, they took down a pair of higher seeded teams in the quarterfinals and semifinals, including the No. 2 seed.
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"Today Radka and Matea showed resilience and focused on the task at hand," Tran said. "I'm really pleased they were able to come together off a successful tournament and continue to perform at an even higher level."
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It's not like the four haven't played against each other in practice, but this was different. On the line was the automatic berth to the ITA Fall National Championships on Nov. 4-7 in San Diego. It was originally believed both finalists would qualify, but later reports said the champion and an at-large team from the field.
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For Richterova and Dalla-Bona, this was the first time this fall they've played together as a team, and it was clear their games meshed quickly, as did their teamwork on the court. In just three tournaments, Dalla-Bona became the third teammate Richterova has played doubles with this fall. To reach the final, they had to beat the overall No. 1 seed in the field in the semifinals.
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"To have a pair that came together like Somer and Sarka did in this tournament is very rare," Tran said. "They played some great tennis through the competition, and I can't wait to see them play together again."
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After playing eight out of the past 10 days in two tournaments, the Rams will get a bit of a break before playing in the New Mexico Fall Invitational Oct. 29-31.
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Sunday's Doubles Final
Radka Buzkova/Matea Mihaljevic d. Sarka Richterova/Somer Dalla-Bona 6-2, 6-4Â
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CSU Results
Additional Singles Matches from Saturday
Emily Dush, Utah, d. Dalla-Bona 7-5, 4-6, 1-0 (10-3)
Yujia Huang, BYU, d. Richterova  6-0, 6-1
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Follow us at -- Twitter: @CSUTennis | Instagram: @csuramstennis | Facebook: @CSUTennis
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Head coach Mai-Ly Tran. She took the job at Colorado State with the intention of making some history with the women's tennis program, and that was achieved this week in the tournament held at the Fertitta Tennis Complex on the UNLV Campus. Not only did the Rams have a doubles team reach the semifinals for the first time, they had two. Then they doubled down and both made the finals, guaranteeing CSU would crown a champion in the field for the first time.
Â
But as a coach, Tran had to remove herself from the equation.
Â
"Today was a difficult day," she said. "As a coach, we are invested in our players and experience their successes and growth. Today, I experienced very different emotions, but it's important to remember that to have two teams at this stage is a huge achievement in itself."
Â
So all she could do was sit back and watch as Radka Buzkova and Matea Mihaljevic played teammates Sarka Richterova and Somer Dalla-Bona for the title. Buzkova and Mihaljevic would prevail in straight sets, 6-2, 6-4.
Â
The twosome has been together all fall, and they have a tournament title and another prior finals appearance to show for their growth as they entered the week with a 6-1 mark. To reach the finals, they took down a pair of higher seeded teams in the quarterfinals and semifinals, including the No. 2 seed.
Â
"Today Radka and Matea showed resilience and focused on the task at hand," Tran said. "I'm really pleased they were able to come together off a successful tournament and continue to perform at an even higher level."
Â
It's not like the four haven't played against each other in practice, but this was different. On the line was the automatic berth to the ITA Fall National Championships on Nov. 4-7 in San Diego. It was originally believed both finalists would qualify, but later reports said the champion and an at-large team from the field.
Â
For Richterova and Dalla-Bona, this was the first time this fall they've played together as a team, and it was clear their games meshed quickly, as did their teamwork on the court. In just three tournaments, Dalla-Bona became the third teammate Richterova has played doubles with this fall. To reach the final, they had to beat the overall No. 1 seed in the field in the semifinals.
Â
"To have a pair that came together like Somer and Sarka did in this tournament is very rare," Tran said. "They played some great tennis through the competition, and I can't wait to see them play together again."
Â
After playing eight out of the past 10 days in two tournaments, the Rams will get a bit of a break before playing in the New Mexico Fall Invitational Oct. 29-31.
Â
Sunday's Doubles Final
Radka Buzkova/Matea Mihaljevic d. Sarka Richterova/Somer Dalla-Bona 6-2, 6-4Â
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CSU Results
Additional Singles Matches from Saturday
Emily Dush, Utah, d. Dalla-Bona 7-5, 4-6, 1-0 (10-3)
Yujia Huang, BYU, d. Richterova  6-0, 6-1
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Follow us at -- Twitter: @CSUTennis | Instagram: @csuramstennis | Facebook: @CSUTennis
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Players Mentioned
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
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