Rams Drop In-State Dual

DENVER – With the spring dual season in the preliminary stages, the team has found itself fighting internal frustrations as much as the results.

Injuries. Inconsistent play. Improvements on the court are not always showing up on the scoreboard. They can mount, and Colorado State coach Mai-Ly Tran has the task of helping her players see the big picture with the latest instance coming Sunday after a 4-0 loss to Denver.

"We tell them of course we're out here to win. We're playing tough opponents, so to trust what we're doing and trust the process of getting better every single time, so we're prepared for the conference season and conference tournament," Tran said- at the Denver Tennis Park. "It's a constant reminder that we're headed in the right direction and to keep their heads up and keep working."

One of the aspects of college tennis is to play to clinch. Six spots may be on the court at the same time, but once a team clinches a match it can all be done in an instant. If you're a player who has been waiting to find a groove and find yourself in one, you want to see it through.

It just doesn't always work out that way, especially when a team is already down 1-0 in singles play as Colorado State was again on Sunday. All Victoria Erechtchenko wanted to do in her match with Marly Lambert was carry forward an encouraging nugget from Friday's loss and carry it through.

She won the first set 6-3 and was knotted at 3-all when the match was abandoned. It just happens that way sometimes, especially when it's the second match of the weekend for both teams and coaches are trying to play the long game.

"The difference today, so far throughout the season I've been swaying, playing well and not so well because I've been trying a lot of things out on the court," she said. "I've been trying to come up with tactics to beat this opponent or thinking I'm going to hit my backhand return and come to the net. At times I find myself trying out things against opponents and those things would not work out. Let's just say I was stubborn, and I needed to practice this in order to gain some confidence and improve my game.

"Today, I thought forget all that and just go out there and hit it. Hit it as fast as you can, just feel the ball. In my match against BYU, at the end of the second set I got to a certain point where I was feeling frustrated, almost angry with myself, with a decision I made. I didn't flip the switch and lose my mind, but it was enough energy, and it fueled me. I played so well for the next couple of points. My goal for today was replicate that type of feeling, be out there and be loose as possible."

It led to a more consistent performance throughout the match, controlling the first set, then bouncing back from a 2-0 deficit at the second to gain a 3-2 lead. Her play had her present in the moment, good or bad, winner or unforced error, and she stayed true to the idea of being dedicated to her task.

On other courts, some of the same was taking place. Sarah Weekley was hanging with Andrea Beltran, ranked No. 106 in the country, at the top spot, and Viktoryia Zhadzinskaya, moved up the No. 2 spot, had a tight first with her foe.

The other positive was the return of freshman Diana Lizarazo to the lineup, at least halfway. She's had an interesting first five weeks at Colorado State, signing out of Bogota, Colombia at the break and playing collegiately before two weeks had passed. Then she slipped on some ice on campus and was out of the lineup.

It's been a lot.

"Yes, it has been. Being here alone, that's definitely hard, staying away from your family for a long period of time is difficult," Lizarazo said. "I used to travel a lot, but no more than five weeks. The weather has been something completely new to me. The student-athlete life is hard, it's all the time, but it's been a lot of fun.

I'm trying to stay positive and optimistic with everything. The team helped me a lot, even before I got here."

Not used to having to navigate hidden ice on a sidewalk, she found a patch which led to her missing a few weeks. Taking away one of her main purposes for being here made it all harder, so Sunday was a step forward.

She and fellow freshman Mariya Dobreva were at 5-all at No. 3 doubles when their match was abandoned after the Pioneers secured the doubles point. And she's hopeful she can move into the singles lineup once again soon.

"I felt really, really good today, even though I can't move completely well," she said. "I think I did a really good job, and I'm extremely happy to come back and play next to my teammates. I'm trying to do everything I can outside the court, of course. It's tough when we're just six playing, so it's tough to see how the team is at a disadvantage. At the same time, I'm trying to help from the outside and cheer for everybody."

Tran has been impressed with the way the newest Ram has handled the sudden change to her life, and the bumps in the road since her arrival.

A lot was thrown at her in short order, and an injury only complicated the adjustments Lizarazo was trying to navigate.

"That's been a challenge for her to be out so early at the start of her college tennis career. It was a great ball of energy for us and a nice support to have our No. 3 doubles back," Tran said. "They played really well, and it was cool to see them fight at that spot. It's just a glimpse of what's to come for the season. We can't wait until she's fully healthy and able to get into the singles lineup.

"She's impressed me so much by her outlook and her perspective of her experience so far. I think she's extremely mature and very inciteful. I think she brings value even off the court. I know she's an extremely high-IQ tennis player. We just want her to see her compete in both singles and doubles."

As it turns out, she's not alone with her thoughts, and Tran and her players understand there is a lot to consider, the trick being to concentrate on those which will help, discarding what could be negative.

Sunday's loss will factor in, as the team dropped to 1-5 on the year, four of those five losses coming to teams from power conferences.

"I think it's difficult. You feel if you have won the match or lost it, and you can go by that feeling right now, but that doesn't help," Erechtchenko said. "Having an end result is better; I lost this game, but I know exactly why. It is difficult. It's best not to think about what the end results are at the end of the day and focus on those small things you can improve and take away from a match. It's hard to start thinking about all these losses. They add up, and eventually, they will destroy your confidence, so it's best not to think about it at all."

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Players Mentioned

Mariya Dobreva

Victoria Erechtchenko

Diana Lizarazo

Sarah Weekley

Viktoryia Zhadzinskaya