Rams Ranked Fifth in ITA Mountain Region for Spring

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Apr 22

10:00 AM

Women's Tennis

vs Nevada

FORT COLLINS, Colo. – The best season in program history for Colorado State tennis came together with some outstanding performances, all of which was recognized Wednesday with record-setting placement in the ITA spring regional rankings.

Colorado State was ranked fifth in the Mountain Region, the first time the squad has finished in the top 10 and the first appearance since 2007, when the team was 11^th in the Central Region. Individual Rams also hit the books in both singles and doubles play, with Radka Buzkova appearing on both lists.

It all came together under unique circumstances, with Mai-Ly Tran as a first-year coach, inheriting a roster which included three one-year transfers, but they formed a bond and set lofty expectations quickly.

"We put a lot of our success this year down to the girls relentlessness and commitment to one another. We were able to create a close-knit team which wanted to be the best version of themselves, with many of the girls wanting to create the best year yet," Tran said. "We were able to do that, and I'm proud of each and every one of them."

Buzkova, a junior from Buhutin, Czech Republic, became the first Ram to crack the top 10 regionally, ranked sixth in Mountain Region. The last player to earn a singles regional ranking was Emily Kirchem in 2007, with the best previous ranking being 11^th, held by Sanja Hansson in 2003. Buzkova posted a 25-5 singles record on her way to All-Mountain West honors, her winning percentage of .833 ranking second all-time, her 25 wins tied for the third most in a single season.

Buzkova and her doubles partner Matea Mihaljevic set the standard for CSU in doubles rankings, coming in second, the best ranking ever for a Rams combo; Anne Anderson and Emily Kirchem were ranked sixth in 2006. The Buzkova/Mihaljevic tandem earned All-Mountain West honors as they went 26-9, winning the ITA Mountain Regional tournament and advancing to the ITA Fall Nationals. The team they beat in the regional final – teammates Somer Dalla-Bona and Sarka Richterova -- also cracked the rankings, coming in seventh, tied for the third-best regional ranking by a doubles duo. They were 19-11, also qualifying for the ITA Fall Nationals.

"Radka had an incredible season and really performed in the crucial moments. I don't think she got enough credit throughout the end of the season as she was just so solid, so I'm really pleased to see her in the regional rankings," Tran said. ""Somer, Sarka, Matea and Radka also had an impressive fall in terms of doubles. It was so exciting to have an all Ram Regional doubles final. It's a credit to them and their continuous work they put in throughout the year and their commitment to our philosophy at CSU."

Colorado State went 15-8 on the season, tying for the most victories in a single season while putting together its best showing in Mountain West play to date. The Rams were 8-2 in conference, finishing second in the final standings and reaching the conference tournament semifinals for just the second time.

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