Rams Defend Fort Court Again

FORT COLLINS, Colo. – Perfect in so many ways.

Unblemished at home for two consecutive seasons. Unrattled and undaunted in a match which was perfectly stressful. Unparalleled success for a season.

Down 3-0 to Air Force on a chilly Saturday afternoon, Colorado State's women's tennis team stormed back on a day when snowflakes came down with the first serve to win the final four matches of the day – the final trio three-setters, the final one requiring a tiebreak – to beat Air Force 4-3 and set up a Mountain West Championships rematch with the Falcons on day two of the upcoming tournament in Las Vegas.

The win moved the No. 66 Rams to 16-7 on the campaign, the most wins in a single season in program history, and it was the 10^th consecutive win at home, extending the record streak. With a 5-5 record in conference matches, Colorado State heads to Las Vegas as the fifth seed, where it will once again meet the Falcons.

That match will come on April 27 at 11 a.m. (MT), the second day of the tournament.

The Rams just won't have it any other way. Of their win total, seven of the victories have come by 4-3 scores, including both matches the final weekend. They've only lost two such matches this season. Two others wins have come via 4-2 scores.

"It makes it sweeter. It's even better to win those matches when it's a tiebreak," joked CSU junior Viktoryia Zhadzinskaya after clinching for the second consecutive day with her 6-2, 0-6, 7-6 (5) win over Abby Cotuna at No. 5. "Why not make a show for everyone? It would be nice to win 4-0, but I don't think we have a choice. It is how it is. It tells for sure how tough we are because we've had losses in these situations. It's bouncing back and staying strong every single match."

Not that one would know it from watching head coach Mai-Ly Tran survey the action. The Rams' second-year leader is rather stoic on the outside, even though she's feeling the emotions on the inside.

She thinks back to her days as a player and what they need to see. As individuals, her players don't create drama. As competitors, it's been a season full of cliffhangers.

"Hey, we've won 4-0 a couple of times this year. It would be nice," she said. "I try to treat it like if we were a player and setting an example for the players of how to stay calm in these moments. It's like we're competing as well, so it's really just staying composed, especially around the players to keep them calm and collected. I've been in these moments a handful of times. I think you get used to trying to keep that game face."

Air Force won the doubles point, with the CSU third team of Sarka Richterova and Zhadzinskaya winning their match 7-6 (4). To ramp up the degree of difficulty, Zara Lennon had to bow out of her No. 2 singles match, moving every other Ram up a spot and sliding Ky Ecton in at No. 6.

Then the Falcons picked off the first two singles matches at the bookends. What was in Colorado State's favor was it took the first set in the other four singles matches.

Only Emily Dush at No. 2 was able to get off the court in two sets. It was a positive step for her after riding some highs and lows after missing a couple matches recently in the conference season. She was in an early hole to Isabella Flodin, but Dush found a flow to her game and stuck to it in matching 6-4, 6-4 decisions.

"During the first three games I felt really antsy. I was kind of going Mach 100 with very little margins," she said. "What I had to do was kind of slow it down and go about 60 percent with big margins. That really helped me out to get back in the groove with my patterns. That's something that really helped me in this match."

Patterns are important, but more effective when consistent. For someone with her talent – she's played in all three of the top spots for the Rams this year – she has the game to win on a regular basis against different types of opponents.

With the conference tournament awaiting, now was a great time to get comfortable with them again.

"Tennis is an up and down sport for sure. You have a 50-50 chance of winning every point," Dush said. "I feel like I've had days where I really feel like myself, and I've had days where I haven't. That's kind of how it is. You just keep trying your best.

"To get the groove back and my patterns, play how I normally play and getting lots of free points off the serve, it's definitely a nice little confidence boost, but I definitely need to hone in on those for sure with the next day of practice."

She wasn't the only Ram to get a bit of a pick-me-up on the day. Sarah Weekley returned to the singles lineup – another player who's won at the top three spots – and while her match had some back and forth, she was able to hit the key points at the end in a 6-1, 5-7, 6-4 win at No. 3, starting the deciding game with a pair of aces.

Tran has liked the depth of her team all along, and when the Rams needed it Saturday, it came to play.

"It was tough. We were a little shorthanded today after doubles, and then the girls were quickly able to step up," Tran said. "I think that just showed our depth. Our conference season, we've been faced with challenges, injuries and adversity, and to see our other players stepping in and stepping up is nice. That shows the strength of the conference, too. The 4-3s, any team could win. Honestly, it's expected. We expect it to be a fight every match.

"Sarah has missed a few matches and took a break, it obviously it was extra emotional to see her get that win. She's been having a hard time, so for her to get that win was big. These were great for them to get to roll into conference with them."

Richterova knotted up the day when she sealed the win over Courtney Swift 7-6 (5), 2-6, 6-2 at No. 4, turning all eyes toward Zhadzinskaya's court once again. At that precise moment, she and Cotuna were 2-all in the tiebreak.

Being in that spot was tough, because up 6-5 and the game at deuce, Zhadzinskaya fired off what she thought was a match winner, only to have it land a few inches wide. The exasperation on her face was clear, then it was gone.

"I just told myself it's OK, it's a challenge," she said. "It was supposed to be like that. Just do the same thing you did, and I knew the right way was successful if I just keep playing."

After the two traded points, Zhadzinskaya started to build an edge leading her to the eventual victory. Having done it the day prior for her team helped, giving her an encouraging reminder she had the fortitude to pull out a tight match, even when a point or two didn't go her way."

When the ball isn't in play, the courts go silent. It was in those moments where she would reach for her Zen.

"I had the moment where I just told myself it's a challenge for me. It makes it harder for me and I'm challenging myself if I'm tough enough to stay strong until the end and give my best," Zhadzinskaya said. "I have to keep calm. It's really important to focus on my breathing because the silence, you can hear every bounce. You just focus on your breathing. It helps me when my whole team is there. I feel pressure, but it's a good pressure for me. It gets me to do better."

In a season where down-to-the-wire is the norm for Colorado State, the Rams find comfort. They also found it a perfect way to defend the Fort one more time.

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Emily Dush

Ky Ecton

Zara Lennon

Sarka Richterova

Sarah Weekley

Viktoryia Zhadzinskaya