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Bedford Cup
Rams Snare Doubles Title at Bedford Cup
9/26/2021 5:23:00 PM | Women's Tennis
Buzkova/Mihaljevic win title; two players reach singles finals at weekend tournament
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – For the first weekend out with a first-year coach, there was plenty for Colorado State's women's tennis program to celebrate at the conclusion of four days of play at the Bedford Cup at the Air Force Academy.
Radka Buzkova and Matea Mihaljevic came away with the doubles championship in the Bravo draw with their finals victory over Northern Arizona's Elinor Beazley and Laura Duhl, 6-3. The pairing was impressive throughout the draw, being pushed to a tiebreaker in the quarterfinals, then clamping down a 7-5 win over a Wyoming pairing in the semis.
Rams' coach Mai-Ly Tran will tinker with doubles pairings through the fall season, but this tandem was particularly impressive from the start.
"They happened to be great, obviously," Tran said. "They still need some work and practicing together. I think those two they just complement each other really well, their styles. They set each other up, and I think both of them stepped up when they needed to."
Overall, there were six brackets in singles and doubles play, with the Rams reaching the finals in half of them. Buzkova made the finals in the singles' Bravo draw, dropping her final match to Denver's Britt Pursell, 6-3, 6-0. In the Charlie draw, Tracy Guo made the finals by playing three-setters in three of her four matches, including the final won by Toni Nelson of Denver, 4-6, 6-2, 6-3.
Somer Dalla-Bona placed fourth in the Alpha Draw, losing her final match to Taylor Melville of DU, 6-4, 6-4.
"I think it was just enjoyable to watch them problem solve on the court and step up when they needed to," Tran said. "They played some tough opponents, honestly, and they got through a really good tournament and beat some great players. It was nice to see them get far in the tournament."
The main goal of the weekend was to get in as many matches as they could, allowing Tran to learn a lot more about her team in a competitive setting. That goal was easily reached and highlighted by a series of positive outcomes.
The four days afforded them a chance to grow closer as a team, but also return to practice in Fort Collins with an idea of what improvements they need to focus on as individuals and a team.
"I asked the girls about what contributes to our confidence, and everyone had some good answers about obviously winning matches gets us confidence, and we saw some conference teams, and beating Wyoming and Air Force in some matches and other schools who are pretty good, gives us confidence going into the rest of the fall," Tran said. "Also it reveals some things we need to work on, as well. I don't think anyone could be more happy with the results for the overall weekend, but everyone is geared on things they need to work on. It made us all excited for the rest of the fall, and I told them I was excited for the spring."
The team's next competition will be the Beach Tennis Tournament in Long Beach, Calif., from Oct 8-10.
Radka Buzkova and Matea Mihaljevic came away with the doubles championship in the Bravo draw with their finals victory over Northern Arizona's Elinor Beazley and Laura Duhl, 6-3. The pairing was impressive throughout the draw, being pushed to a tiebreaker in the quarterfinals, then clamping down a 7-5 win over a Wyoming pairing in the semis.
Rams' coach Mai-Ly Tran will tinker with doubles pairings through the fall season, but this tandem was particularly impressive from the start.
"They happened to be great, obviously," Tran said. "They still need some work and practicing together. I think those two they just complement each other really well, their styles. They set each other up, and I think both of them stepped up when they needed to."
Overall, there were six brackets in singles and doubles play, with the Rams reaching the finals in half of them. Buzkova made the finals in the singles' Bravo draw, dropping her final match to Denver's Britt Pursell, 6-3, 6-0. In the Charlie draw, Tracy Guo made the finals by playing three-setters in three of her four matches, including the final won by Toni Nelson of Denver, 4-6, 6-2, 6-3.
Somer Dalla-Bona placed fourth in the Alpha Draw, losing her final match to Taylor Melville of DU, 6-4, 6-4.
"I think it was just enjoyable to watch them problem solve on the court and step up when they needed to," Tran said. "They played some tough opponents, honestly, and they got through a really good tournament and beat some great players. It was nice to see them get far in the tournament."
The main goal of the weekend was to get in as many matches as they could, allowing Tran to learn a lot more about her team in a competitive setting. That goal was easily reached and highlighted by a series of positive outcomes.
The four days afforded them a chance to grow closer as a team, but also return to practice in Fort Collins with an idea of what improvements they need to focus on as individuals and a team.
"I asked the girls about what contributes to our confidence, and everyone had some good answers about obviously winning matches gets us confidence, and we saw some conference teams, and beating Wyoming and Air Force in some matches and other schools who are pretty good, gives us confidence going into the rest of the fall," Tran said. "Also it reveals some things we need to work on, as well. I don't think anyone could be more happy with the results for the overall weekend, but everyone is geared on things they need to work on. It made us all excited for the rest of the fall, and I told them I was excited for the spring."
The team's next competition will be the Beach Tennis Tournament in Long Beach, Calif., from Oct 8-10.
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
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