Colorado State University Athletics

Saturday, April 2
Laramie, WY
2:00 PM

Colorado State

vs

Air Force

Anastasiia Kotsyuba

Team Heads North for Conference Duo

3/31/2022 1:53:00 PM | Women's Tennis

Rams face Air Force, New Mexico in Laramie

FORT COLLINS, Colo. – Coming off a split the opening weekend of Mountain West play, Colorado State's women's tennis team is set for two more conference matches north of the border.
 
There will be no Border War involved – that comes later in Fort Collins – but the Rams will have an in-state dual out of state as they start with Air Force in Laramie on Saturday, followed by a showdown with New Mexico on Sunday; both matches begin at 2 p.m. Neither will be new to the Rams, who faced both squads in fall tournament play.
 
"After a loss, we're just excited for another chance against a Mountain West team," CSU head coach Mai-Ly Tran said. "Air Force we've seen in the fall, and they're an energetic, aggressive team and a local rival, so that will be fun. We saw new Mexico in the fall as well, but honestly, the fall and spring are very different, so we're expecting a tough match.
 
"I think there's extra excitement on the conference matches, just because you know there's more weight to it. I've tried to tell the team to treat it the same."
 
CSU beat San Jose State to open conference play, then dropped a decision to No. 68 Fresno State, now sitting at 7-6 overall, each loss coming to a team currently ranked by the ITA.
 
Air Force swept the opening weekend to move to 13-3, beating Nevada and New Mexico. The Lobos, 9-5, 0-2, also lost to Nevada.
 
Tran has seen consistent improvement in her squad this season, a trend she wants to see continue as they pursue dual-match victories. Radka Buzkova is 17-5 in singles play this year, while Somer Dalla-Bona is 16-9 having won her past seven decisions and Lucia Natal is 13-2.
 
In doubles play, Buzkova and Matea Mihaljevic are 21-5 on the year, with Dalla-Bona and Richterova at 14-8.
 
"I don't think we're at our peak yet, and I want them to continue to get better with every match we're playing," Tran said. "We learned a lot from our last match, and we hope to see that team again in the tournament. Every single match we use is in preparation for the end of the season."
 
Follow us at -- Twitter: @CSUTennis | Instagram: @csuramstennis | Facebook: @CSUTennis

Players Mentioned

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/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
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