Colorado State University Athletics
Tuesday, March 15
Boulder, CO
12:00 PM
Colorado State
4
at
2
Colorado
Rams Deliver Monumental Win at Colorado
3/15/2022 4:51:00 PM | Women's Tennis
Buzkova seals team win with three-set victory at No. 1 singles
BOULDER, Colo. – First-year coach Mai-Ly Tran set out to change the trajectory of the program, and Tuesday was a definite step toward her goals.
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For the fiirst time in school history, Colorado State's women's tennis team defeated in-state rival Colorado, posting a 4-2 team victory. Radka Buzkova, playing at the No. 1 spot, jumped in the air as Colorado's Antonia Balzert double faulted on match point, and her teammates rushed her on the court to celebrate the win.
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"That was so sweet. They all ran on the court, and I couldn't shake the hand of my opponent because they just started hugging me," Buzkova said. "It was an amazing feeling."
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The win also marks the first for the program over a Power 5 school since beating Texas Tech in 2004. These are the types of wins Tran came seeking when she took the Colorado State job this summer.
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"We were so excited to play CU, an in-state school, a great team," she said. "We were excited to compete against them. After last weekend, with having a close one with Arizona, the girls were feeling very confident. We had a nice weekend to rest and recover, and I think they felt really good about our team. They just competed so well. They came out with a lot of energy, and everybody had trust in themselves and each other. It was great to see them play so well.
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"CU is a great team and they fought. It came down to the end, so it was close, but at the same time, we all trusted each other and it was great to see us get the win."
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The victory was set in motion when the Rams earned the doubles point with the top two spots winning. At No. 1, Buzkova and partner Matea Mihaljevic won 6-3, and the No. 2 tandem of Sarka Richterova and Somer Dalla-Bona clinched with the same score after CU had won at No. 3. That was crucial, Tran said, because while she didn't feel the team had been playing as well at doubles prior, they came back and showed improvement and moxie to earn the point.
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The win for Buzkova and Mihaljevic was the 20th of the year, ranking each of them seventh on the all-time list for doubles wins by a player in a single season.
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Colorado State got off to a hot start in singles as Lucia Natal was not on the court long at No. 5 with her 6-2, 6-1, then Richterova roared back at No. 3 singles, falling behind 5-1 in the first set before rallying for a 7-6, 7-6 (3) win over Maria Campos.
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"She's so mentally disciplined. She saw all of her teammates doing really well, then she said, 'I've got this,'" Tran said. "She came out strong and didn't give up and really fought back in that first set. I think that gave the whole team confidence. You could hear her, so her grabbing that first set was really important for us. IT just shows how tough Sarka is mentally. She really believes she can win no matter what the score is."
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Colorado evened up singles play with three-set victories at No. 2 and No. 6, leaving Buzkova and Dalla-Bona on the court.
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Both of them split the first two sets, and their matches were running nearly parallel to each other as the tension heightened along with the gusts of wind at the CU facility. Both Rams inched ahead 5-4 by holding serve, but Buzkova earned the clinch as Balzert's second serve flew wide, sending the Colorado State sideline into a frenzy. Buzkova's final line at the top spot was 6-4, 4-6, 6-4.
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"I know how it is to play in the wind. We know how to adjust, but it changes the match and the way both players play," Buzkova said. "I think I did a good job with it; she adjusted well, too. It was a really close match, and the wind played a role, for sure."
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The win moves the team to 6-3 on the season, sending them off to California this weekend for matches against Loyola Marymount (Friday, 2 p.m.) and Tran's alma mater, Cal State Fullerton (Saturday, 12 p.m.) on a definite high note.
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As much as Tran came to the school with the intention of creating a winning tradition, she found players on roster who were just as willing to change the course of the program by putting in the work. They knew the past history of the series, which only gave them more fire.
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"I think they're excited by challenges like that," Tran said. "They wanted to get a win for the program and make history. That's something they set out to do, and that's something we did today.
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"Credit to all of them. They make this team … they're so special, and they just trust each other. They're so close, and they instill confidence in each other, and I think we're gaining some momentum. There's still work to be done, but I think we're in a really good place right now."
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For the fiirst time in school history, Colorado State's women's tennis team defeated in-state rival Colorado, posting a 4-2 team victory. Radka Buzkova, playing at the No. 1 spot, jumped in the air as Colorado's Antonia Balzert double faulted on match point, and her teammates rushed her on the court to celebrate the win.
Â
"That was so sweet. They all ran on the court, and I couldn't shake the hand of my opponent because they just started hugging me," Buzkova said. "It was an amazing feeling."
Â
The win also marks the first for the program over a Power 5 school since beating Texas Tech in 2004. These are the types of wins Tran came seeking when she took the Colorado State job this summer.
Â
"We were so excited to play CU, an in-state school, a great team," she said. "We were excited to compete against them. After last weekend, with having a close one with Arizona, the girls were feeling very confident. We had a nice weekend to rest and recover, and I think they felt really good about our team. They just competed so well. They came out with a lot of energy, and everybody had trust in themselves and each other. It was great to see them play so well.
Â
"CU is a great team and they fought. It came down to the end, so it was close, but at the same time, we all trusted each other and it was great to see us get the win."
Â
The victory was set in motion when the Rams earned the doubles point with the top two spots winning. At No. 1, Buzkova and partner Matea Mihaljevic won 6-3, and the No. 2 tandem of Sarka Richterova and Somer Dalla-Bona clinched with the same score after CU had won at No. 3. That was crucial, Tran said, because while she didn't feel the team had been playing as well at doubles prior, they came back and showed improvement and moxie to earn the point.
Â
The win for Buzkova and Mihaljevic was the 20th of the year, ranking each of them seventh on the all-time list for doubles wins by a player in a single season.
Â
Colorado State got off to a hot start in singles as Lucia Natal was not on the court long at No. 5 with her 6-2, 6-1, then Richterova roared back at No. 3 singles, falling behind 5-1 in the first set before rallying for a 7-6, 7-6 (3) win over Maria Campos.
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"She's so mentally disciplined. She saw all of her teammates doing really well, then she said, 'I've got this,'" Tran said. "She came out strong and didn't give up and really fought back in that first set. I think that gave the whole team confidence. You could hear her, so her grabbing that first set was really important for us. IT just shows how tough Sarka is mentally. She really believes she can win no matter what the score is."
Â
Colorado evened up singles play with three-set victories at No. 2 and No. 6, leaving Buzkova and Dalla-Bona on the court.
Â
Both of them split the first two sets, and their matches were running nearly parallel to each other as the tension heightened along with the gusts of wind at the CU facility. Both Rams inched ahead 5-4 by holding serve, but Buzkova earned the clinch as Balzert's second serve flew wide, sending the Colorado State sideline into a frenzy. Buzkova's final line at the top spot was 6-4, 4-6, 6-4.
Â
"I know how it is to play in the wind. We know how to adjust, but it changes the match and the way both players play," Buzkova said. "I think I did a good job with it; she adjusted well, too. It was a really close match, and the wind played a role, for sure."
Â
The win moves the team to 6-3 on the season, sending them off to California this weekend for matches against Loyola Marymount (Friday, 2 p.m.) and Tran's alma mater, Cal State Fullerton (Saturday, 12 p.m.) on a definite high note.
Â
As much as Tran came to the school with the intention of creating a winning tradition, she found players on roster who were just as willing to change the course of the program by putting in the work. They knew the past history of the series, which only gave them more fire.
Â
"I think they're excited by challenges like that," Tran said. "They wanted to get a win for the program and make history. That's something they set out to do, and that's something we did today.
Â
"Credit to all of them. They make this team … they're so special, and they just trust each other. They're so close, and they instill confidence in each other, and I think we're gaining some momentum. There's still work to be done, but I think we're in a really good place right now."
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Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
3,1,2
#1 Singles Match
123
646
Antonia Balzert / 0 [COLO]
464
#2 Singles Match
123
631
Caroline Pozo / 0 [COLO]
366
#3 Singles Match
12
77
Maria Campos / 0 [COLO]
56
#4 Singles Match
1234
654UF
Megan Forster / 0 [COLO]
274UF
#5 Singles Match
12
66
Mila Stanojevic / 0 [COLO]
21
#6 Singles Match
123
461
Betina Tokac / 0 [COLO]
636
Order of Finish:
5,3,6,2,1
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
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