Colorado State University Athletics
Friday, April 11
Fort Collins, CO
3:30 PM
Colorado State
2
vs
4
Air Force
Absorbing the Tension In a Positive Way
4/11/2025 8:42:00 PM | Women's Tennis
Rams drop lengthy fight to Falcons
The tension on their own court was the easy decipher. They were living it in the moment, each and every point. But from the crowd, the players knew they weren't alone.
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It became easy to sense, to feel, to absorb. A pristine Colorado spring day  was the setting for Colorado State's women's tennis team to pay tribute to a trio of departing seniors, and the match with Air Force at the CSU Tennis Complex only heightened the senses.
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Roars came from around the complex with each key point, of which there were many. Trying to tap into the emotions of your own match is an arduous task on its own, but absorbing the energy around you and making it your own can be a boost.
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"I could really feel all of the crowd today, and it was exciting," Victoria Erechtchenko said. "When I had the big moments, even though I'm in the back, they saw me. Every now and then I'd look over and someone would start screaming for me. I think because today was Senior Day, we had a few more people than usual, but I think they were more into it than usual."
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The Mountain West match between state rivals turned into a slugfest, where four of the five singles matches required a third set. In the end, the Rams fell 4-2, but it wasn't without a fight.
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Early on in singles, there were a few Rams staring down three-game deficits, and two of them came back to win the set. Playing from behind as been the norm for the team all year, giving up a forfeit at the sixth singles line, and for a good portion of the early campaign, at the third doubles slot.
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As the season has progressed, that's the change CSU coach Mai-Ly Tran has seen in her team, owning the fact and not running from it.
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"Our backs are against the wall every single match. I think they are embracing it," Tran said, her team now 4-16 overall, 2-7 in conference. "To me, it felt fun, like wow. We had a slow start to singles, but people were fighting and came back, and we got some first sets. There were momentum shifts. They expected a fight, and they were prepared for it mentally.
Â
"They're tough. They have a chip on their shoulder. We know it's been tough for us, but it's never been an excuse this whole season. We still believe when we can win when we're down a doubles point and one in singles. They're just embracing it."
Â
The one Ram who had the opportunity to see most of it all unfold was Erechtchenko. Not that her win at No. 3 singles was a breeze, but she was keyed up for the big points, taking her match 6-4, 6-4 against Arianna Van Houweling.
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She loves finishing early, but getting started was another story for the senior.
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"It's nice. It's fun to finish a little earlier than everybody else," she said. "I was really happy today going into the match in general. You kind of have that feeling; our teammates made us a photo album and our coach is making speeches; it touches you a little bit.
Â
"It makes it hard. My doubles performance in the beginning was pretty trash. I was not mentally ready to play yet. I wish I would have had a break to sit down and listen to music and be like,' OK, battle mode.'"
Â
She found it soon enough to make the rounds, to eventually be part of the crowd which stirred up the emotions, which were frothing by the end with each furious whisk of the momentum spoon.
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With a win at No. 2, the Falcons sat on the cusp of the team win, and just a court away from there, CSU freshman Diana Lizarazo was in fairly dire straits. Then she summoned up a rally.
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"I think today I used that more as a motivation, not pressure. I was down 5-4 and 30-love and when I was about to play the next point, I saw that Vika (Viktoryia Zhadzinskaya) had just lost," Lizarazo said. "I was like, 'OK, I just want to give Sarah (Weekley) and Logan (Voeks) a chance to finish their matches.' I literally just wanted to give the seniors something in return for everything they've done for me. I felt the atmosphere, but in a good way. At the end, a lot of people showed up and were cheering for me, and I just loved it.
Â
"It was different for me. It's difficult to embrace it sometimes, because sometimes it's overwhelming if you're not used to it. Today, I tried to take the positive side of that. I know if there's a loud atmosphere, it's because people want the best for me. I try to think about that. It also helps to cheer myself, for my teammates."
Â
What she had struggled with the third set was holding serve, but an ability to break back was an aid.
Â
So was the chance to take a mental reset and brush aside the previous two hours of play.
Â
"When I start tiebreaks, especially a third-set tiebreak, I try to reset. Whatever I did the last six games, it doesn't matter anymore," she said. "It's just what comes next, so I try to keep that mindset. On my serve, I know it was more of a mental struggle rather than my actual serve. I tried to keep it simple, not think about it. Just serve. Just put the ball in.
Â
"A tiebreak is 0-0. You just played three sets, but the mind is it's new again."
Â
Which allowed her to take the match at No. 5 with Sofie Mavor 7-5, 2-6, 7-6 (3). It gave her team a chance, and though Voeks was on the service line with a 5-2 lead in her match, the Falcons closed it out with a win at the top line.
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Colorado State will close out the regular season Sunday when it travels to Wyoming (11 a.m.)
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It became easy to sense, to feel, to absorb. A pristine Colorado spring day  was the setting for Colorado State's women's tennis team to pay tribute to a trio of departing seniors, and the match with Air Force at the CSU Tennis Complex only heightened the senses.
Â
Roars came from around the complex with each key point, of which there were many. Trying to tap into the emotions of your own match is an arduous task on its own, but absorbing the energy around you and making it your own can be a boost.
Â
"I could really feel all of the crowd today, and it was exciting," Victoria Erechtchenko said. "When I had the big moments, even though I'm in the back, they saw me. Every now and then I'd look over and someone would start screaming for me. I think because today was Senior Day, we had a few more people than usual, but I think they were more into it than usual."
Â
The Mountain West match between state rivals turned into a slugfest, where four of the five singles matches required a third set. In the end, the Rams fell 4-2, but it wasn't without a fight.
Â
Early on in singles, there were a few Rams staring down three-game deficits, and two of them came back to win the set. Playing from behind as been the norm for the team all year, giving up a forfeit at the sixth singles line, and for a good portion of the early campaign, at the third doubles slot.
Â
As the season has progressed, that's the change CSU coach Mai-Ly Tran has seen in her team, owning the fact and not running from it.
Â
"Our backs are against the wall every single match. I think they are embracing it," Tran said, her team now 4-16 overall, 2-7 in conference. "To me, it felt fun, like wow. We had a slow start to singles, but people were fighting and came back, and we got some first sets. There were momentum shifts. They expected a fight, and they were prepared for it mentally.
Â
"They're tough. They have a chip on their shoulder. We know it's been tough for us, but it's never been an excuse this whole season. We still believe when we can win when we're down a doubles point and one in singles. They're just embracing it."
Â
The one Ram who had the opportunity to see most of it all unfold was Erechtchenko. Not that her win at No. 3 singles was a breeze, but she was keyed up for the big points, taking her match 6-4, 6-4 against Arianna Van Houweling.
Â
She loves finishing early, but getting started was another story for the senior.
Â
"It's nice. It's fun to finish a little earlier than everybody else," she said. "I was really happy today going into the match in general. You kind of have that feeling; our teammates made us a photo album and our coach is making speeches; it touches you a little bit.
Â
"It makes it hard. My doubles performance in the beginning was pretty trash. I was not mentally ready to play yet. I wish I would have had a break to sit down and listen to music and be like,' OK, battle mode.'"
Â
She found it soon enough to make the rounds, to eventually be part of the crowd which stirred up the emotions, which were frothing by the end with each furious whisk of the momentum spoon.
Â
With a win at No. 2, the Falcons sat on the cusp of the team win, and just a court away from there, CSU freshman Diana Lizarazo was in fairly dire straits. Then she summoned up a rally.
Â
"I think today I used that more as a motivation, not pressure. I was down 5-4 and 30-love and when I was about to play the next point, I saw that Vika (Viktoryia Zhadzinskaya) had just lost," Lizarazo said. "I was like, 'OK, I just want to give Sarah (Weekley) and Logan (Voeks) a chance to finish their matches.' I literally just wanted to give the seniors something in return for everything they've done for me. I felt the atmosphere, but in a good way. At the end, a lot of people showed up and were cheering for me, and I just loved it.
Â
"It was different for me. It's difficult to embrace it sometimes, because sometimes it's overwhelming if you're not used to it. Today, I tried to take the positive side of that. I know if there's a loud atmosphere, it's because people want the best for me. I try to think about that. It also helps to cheer myself, for my teammates."
Â
What she had struggled with the third set was holding serve, but an ability to break back was an aid.
Â
So was the chance to take a mental reset and brush aside the previous two hours of play.
Â
"When I start tiebreaks, especially a third-set tiebreak, I try to reset. Whatever I did the last six games, it doesn't matter anymore," she said. "It's just what comes next, so I try to keep that mindset. On my serve, I know it was more of a mental struggle rather than my actual serve. I tried to keep it simple, not think about it. Just serve. Just put the ball in.
Â
"A tiebreak is 0-0. You just played three sets, but the mind is it's new again."
Â
Which allowed her to take the match at No. 5 with Sofie Mavor 7-5, 2-6, 7-6 (3). It gave her team a chance, and though Voeks was on the service line with a 5-2 lead in her match, the Falcons closed it out with a win at the top line.
Â
Colorado State will close out the regular season Sunday when it travels to Wyoming (11 a.m.)
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Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
3,2
#1 Singles Match
123
Alexis Odom / 0 [AFA]
746
664
#2 Singles Match
123
Nadia Kojonroj / 0 [AFA]
646
260
#3 Singles Match
12
Arian Van Houweling / 0 [AFA]
44
66
#4 Singles Match
1234
Maya Michalski / 0 [AFA]
672UF
755UF
#5 Singles Match
123
Sofia Mavor / 0 [AFA]
566
727
#6 Singles Match
1
Shivaani Selvan / 0 [AFA]
WF
0
Order of Finish:
3,2,5,1,6
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
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