Colorado State University Athletics
Thursday, April 28
Tucson, AZ
3 PM MT
Colorado State
vs
San Jose State
Tran's Troops Aren’t Finished Chasing Success
4/25/2022 1:41:00 PM | Women's Tennis
Rams enter MW Tournament as No. 2 seed
FORT COLLINS, Colo. – At this point, there's only way to look at the season – a rousing success.
The 14 dual wins are the second most in a single season in program history. The eight Mountain West dual wins are the most. It added up to the No. 2 overall seed heading into the conference tournament this weekend at El Conquistador Tucson, the best standing ever for the Colorado State women's tennis program.
The Rams have accomplished so much under first-year coach Mai-Ly Tran and enjoyed every minute of the ride, but they didn't achieve every goal they set.
"No. We wanted to be No. 1, but now we have another chance," junior Sarka Richterova said. "For me, it's the relationships with the girls. We're such a family. It was a special semester with them and being so successful with them made it more special."
As the No. 2 seed, Colorado State earned a first-round by for Wednesday's action and will await the winner of the No. 7 Boise State/No. 10 San Jose State matchup for Thursday's 3 p.m. MT dual. The Rams beat the Spartans 4-3 in the first conference match of the season and later topped the Broncos 4-1.
Wednesday's play will feature three first-round matches, two played at 11 a.m., the third at 2 p.m. On Thursday, four matches will take the court in sets (11 a.m. and p.m.), with Friday's semifinals set for 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Saturday's championship match is scheduled for a 12 p.m. start.
All tournament matches can be tracked via a live stream and live scoring. The winner earns the conference's automatic bid into the NCAA Championship field.
What the team has enjoyed so much about the season is the way they came together and went about raising the bar. Tran wasn't the only new key figure. Assistant Taylor Hollander is in her first season, and six of the players they inherited had never been on campus, five of them transfers from other programs.
They came to a team which didn't get a conference season the year before or have played in a conference tournament the past two seasons due to the global pandemic. They spent the fall getting to know each other, and what transpired was a group which became friends off the court, competitors at practice and players willing to battle for each other during matches.
"On the court and off the court, I really cherish every moment we spend together," holdover Tracy Guo said. "We all care about each other. We know everyone cares about each other, which makes me feel special on the court and off the court. If it's on the courts, I know no matter win or lose, they'll always be by my side and they'll always support me."
The Rams feel battle tested heading into the draw. For the first time in program history, the Rams were represented at the ITA Fall Nationals with doubles teams Radka Buzkova and Matea Mihaljevic, as well as Somer Dalla-Bona and Richterova qualifying after they both met for the ITA Mountain Regional championship, with the Buzkova-Mihaljevic tandem coming out on top.
Tran beefed up the schedule by adding a few extra ranked teams, with all seven losses the team incurred during the season coming at the hands of teams who are ranked. The Rams also head to Tucson on a roll, having won four consecutive matches and seven of the past eight.
What they've done has proven fruitful, so the only idea any of the carry into Thursday's opening match is to keep it going.
"I told them in preparation we just need to take care of ourselves and make sure they're ready to go," Tran said. "They've put in all the work to prepare ourselves for this. I think we've honestly won already, but we're not done yet. We obviously have that last goal to win the conference championship, but we'll take it one day at a time. I think we've set ourselves up really well but just going in, stay focused and do the things we've been doing.
"This is something they really want. I think these are moments they'll never forget. As a team, the strength they have will help them chase that conference championship."
The Rams are the sum of their parts. There have been some outstanding individual results, to be sure, however, they have relied on each other at key points, picking each other up on off days. Buzkova heads into the draw having won seven successive decisions, while Richterova's roll is six in a row, the last one coming without dropping a game.
Fresno State is undefeated in conference play and enters the field as the top seed and on a 12-match win streak. Taking down the Bulldogs will not be easy, but Tran's squad is not one to back down from a challenge. To reach and win the final match will require all the tenacity they can muster.
"Everybody wants to win the conference tournament. You can't just watch the results," Guo said. "Step by step from the first round until the last round, you have to stay focused on every match. I think it's staying on the same page, fighting for the same goal and also everyone focusing on every match and taking care of our business."
Or, as Richterova summed up the task – "You put your heart into it, and we'll see."
After spending the season putting their heart into each other and their goals, the Rams don't know any other way.
The 14 dual wins are the second most in a single season in program history. The eight Mountain West dual wins are the most. It added up to the No. 2 overall seed heading into the conference tournament this weekend at El Conquistador Tucson, the best standing ever for the Colorado State women's tennis program.
The Rams have accomplished so much under first-year coach Mai-Ly Tran and enjoyed every minute of the ride, but they didn't achieve every goal they set.
"No. We wanted to be No. 1, but now we have another chance," junior Sarka Richterova said. "For me, it's the relationships with the girls. We're such a family. It was a special semester with them and being so successful with them made it more special."
As the No. 2 seed, Colorado State earned a first-round by for Wednesday's action and will await the winner of the No. 7 Boise State/No. 10 San Jose State matchup for Thursday's 3 p.m. MT dual. The Rams beat the Spartans 4-3 in the first conference match of the season and later topped the Broncos 4-1.
Wednesday's play will feature three first-round matches, two played at 11 a.m., the third at 2 p.m. On Thursday, four matches will take the court in sets (11 a.m. and p.m.), with Friday's semifinals set for 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Saturday's championship match is scheduled for a 12 p.m. start.
All tournament matches can be tracked via a live stream and live scoring. The winner earns the conference's automatic bid into the NCAA Championship field.
What the team has enjoyed so much about the season is the way they came together and went about raising the bar. Tran wasn't the only new key figure. Assistant Taylor Hollander is in her first season, and six of the players they inherited had never been on campus, five of them transfers from other programs.
They came to a team which didn't get a conference season the year before or have played in a conference tournament the past two seasons due to the global pandemic. They spent the fall getting to know each other, and what transpired was a group which became friends off the court, competitors at practice and players willing to battle for each other during matches.
"On the court and off the court, I really cherish every moment we spend together," holdover Tracy Guo said. "We all care about each other. We know everyone cares about each other, which makes me feel special on the court and off the court. If it's on the courts, I know no matter win or lose, they'll always be by my side and they'll always support me."
The Rams feel battle tested heading into the draw. For the first time in program history, the Rams were represented at the ITA Fall Nationals with doubles teams Radka Buzkova and Matea Mihaljevic, as well as Somer Dalla-Bona and Richterova qualifying after they both met for the ITA Mountain Regional championship, with the Buzkova-Mihaljevic tandem coming out on top.
Tran beefed up the schedule by adding a few extra ranked teams, with all seven losses the team incurred during the season coming at the hands of teams who are ranked. The Rams also head to Tucson on a roll, having won four consecutive matches and seven of the past eight.
What they've done has proven fruitful, so the only idea any of the carry into Thursday's opening match is to keep it going.
"I told them in preparation we just need to take care of ourselves and make sure they're ready to go," Tran said. "They've put in all the work to prepare ourselves for this. I think we've honestly won already, but we're not done yet. We obviously have that last goal to win the conference championship, but we'll take it one day at a time. I think we've set ourselves up really well but just going in, stay focused and do the things we've been doing.
"This is something they really want. I think these are moments they'll never forget. As a team, the strength they have will help them chase that conference championship."
The Rams are the sum of their parts. There have been some outstanding individual results, to be sure, however, they have relied on each other at key points, picking each other up on off days. Buzkova heads into the draw having won seven successive decisions, while Richterova's roll is six in a row, the last one coming without dropping a game.
Fresno State is undefeated in conference play and enters the field as the top seed and on a 12-match win streak. Taking down the Bulldogs will not be easy, but Tran's squad is not one to back down from a challenge. To reach and win the final match will require all the tenacity they can muster.
"Everybody wants to win the conference tournament. You can't just watch the results," Guo said. "Step by step from the first round until the last round, you have to stay focused on every match. I think it's staying on the same page, fighting for the same goal and also everyone focusing on every match and taking care of our business."
Or, as Richterova summed up the task – "You put your heart into it, and we'll see."
After spending the season putting their heart into each other and their goals, the Rams don't know any other way.
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
CSU Tennis (W) Sights and Sounds: New Mexico
Sunday, March 31
CSU Tennis (W): UTEP SIghts and Sounds
Sunday, March 03
Colorado State Women's Tennis: Sights and Sounds vs. Wyoming
Monday, April 23
Colorado State Women's Tennis: Sights and Sounds vs. UNC
Friday, April 20