Tennis Sweeps Singles, Defeats KU

COLLEGE STATION, Texas ? For the second time this season, the University of Colorado tennis team defeated the Kansas Jayhawks, this time at the Big 12 Tennis Championship quarterfinals, 5-0, Friday afternoon at the George P. Mitchell Tennis Center hosted by Texas A&M.

The Buffaloes advance to Saturday's semifinal match to play top-seeded and No. 3 nationally ranked Baylor at 2 p.m. The Bears defeated No. 9 seed Texas Tech, 4-0, Friday morning.

“We knew that Kansas was going to come fighting at us,” said CU head coach Nicole Kenneally. “I'm really proud of how we came out and took control early, especially in the doubles. Over in singles, we really had some major fights on our hands and we just kept staying with them. I was excited to see how we pulled out a lot of those tight first sets.”

Against KU, the Buffaloes secured the doubles point taking the No. 1 and No. 2 positions for a 1-0 lead.

At No. 1 doubles, Camila Belassi and Monica Milewski defeated Avdeeva/Horvath, 8-2, and at No. 2, Melisa Esposito and Franziska Jendrian blanked Dorn/Hommell, 8-0. It's the second straight win for Belassi/Milewski over their KU opponents, while Belassi/Milewski avenged an earlier season loss to the KU pair.

On the season, Belassi/Milewski won their eighth spring match, while Esposito/Jendrian won their 13^th.

In singles play, CU dominated taking the No. 2 through No. 5 positions.

Belassi, Esposito, Gleisy Torres Torres and Veera Nurmi all won in straight sets and defeated their respective KU foes for the second time this season after sweeping the Jayhawks, 7-0 back on March 14 in Boulder.

Friday's action saw Nurmi make it 2-0 on the scoreboard defeating Kunigunda Dorn, 6-4, 6-4 for her 17^th victory of the year. Torres Torres was next at No. 3, defeating Edina Horvath, 6-2, 6-4 for her 19^th victory of the year; and Belassi clinched the team victory defeating Elizaveta Avdeeva, 7-5, 6-1 at the No. 2 slot.

It was Belassi's first clinching match victory of the season and second for her career, while Nurmi and Torres Torres each earned their 74^th career triumph. Nurmi also won her sixth straight, and seven of her last eight matches.

CU rounded out the scoring at No. 5 as Esposito edged Yuliana Svistun in straight sets, 7-5, 6-2 for her 20^th singles match victory.

Saturday's semifinal match against Baylor can be viewed with live scoring on the Big 12 Tennis Championships website at http://www.aggieathletics.com/specialsites/2008big12tennis/

Match Notes

The Buffaloes are 11-11 in the conference post-season

CU is 4-2 against KU in the post-season; 1-1 against Bears

In the 12-year history of the Big 12 Tennis Championships, CU is 1-1 as the No. 4 seed

The last time a CU team played in the conference semifinal was the 2005 season

Nurmi and Torres Torres are tied for 10^th (with each other) on the school's all-time singles wins list

Esposito's 20^th singles victory surpasses last year's win total of 19

Nurmi's win was her 29^thcareer conference victory, ranking second in school history

No. 58 Colorado 5, No. 68 Kansas 0

CU (12-10), KU (10-13)

April 25, George P. Mitchell Tennis Center. College Station, Texas

1d) Belassi/Milewski (CU) def. Avdeeva/Horvath 8-2

2d) Esposito/Jendrian (CU) def. Dorn/Hommell 8-0

3d) Torres Torres/Abbie Probert (CU) vs. Svistun/Tokarczyk (KU) ? did not finish

Order of finish: 1, 2*

1s) Monica Milewski (CU) vs. Magdalena Tokarczyk (KU) ? did not finish

2s) Camila Belassi (CU) def. Elizaveta Avdeeva 7-5, 6-1

3s) Gleisy Torres Torres (CU) def. Edina Horvath 6-2, 6-4

4s) Veera Nurmi (CU) def. Kunigunda Dorn (KU) 6-4, 6-4

5s) Melisa Esposito (CU) def. Yuliana Svistun 7-5, 6-2

6s) Franziska Jendrian (CU) vs. Lauren Hommell (KU) ? did not finish

Order of finish: 4, 3, 2, 5*

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Players Mentioned

Camila Belassi

Melisa Esposito

Franziska Jendrian

Monica Milewski

Veera Nurmi

Abbie Probert

Gleisy Torres Torres