Colorado
Kansas State
Buffs Tennis Rolls Over K-State, 4-0
April 23, 2009 | Tennis
NORMAN, Okla. ? University of Colorado senior Franziska Jendrian won her 85th career singles victory in straight sets at the No. 4 slot clinching the Buffaloes tennis team to a 4-0 shutout of No. 12 seed Kansas State in the first round of the Big 12 Conference Championships at the Headington Family Tennis Center.
The Buffaloes, seeded No. 5 improves to 12-9 overall, while the Wildcats end the season at 4-15.
CU, nationally ranked at No. 59, advances to Friday's quarterfinals for the third straight year and will take on No. 4 seed No. 61 ranked Nebraska (15-6) at 11 a.m. (MDT).
“We knew we were going to have a good battle on our hands,” CU head coach Nicole Kenneally said. “We had a victory against them in the regular season that was a really tough, hard-fought win. We knew that that's what it was going to be today.”
Jendrian's 85th career singles win moves her into a fourth place tie on the school's all-time singles list with Karen McIntosh [1991-93, 1994-96] and Birgit Fink-Jensen [1986-90]. In addition to her ninth career clinching match tally, Jendrian also recorded her personal-best 25th singles win tying Monica Milewski, who won 25 in 2006-07. The 25 triumphs by Jendrian and Milewski are the most in a single-season by any CU woman in the last 10 years.
“In singles, I played really well,” Jendrian said. “I got out there, played my game and adjusted to the wind. It was very important to get the set and keep going and keep the momentum. That's what I did and ran with it, basically, and closed it out in the second set.”
Thursday's match between CU/K-State was a Big 12 post-season first and CU's second shutout of the Wildcats having defeated K-State, 7-0 on March 22 in Manhattan. In that match, four of the six singles positions were determined by three sets.
The Buffs improve to 22-10 over K-State and have now won three in a row and five of last six against the Wildcats. CU is now 3-2 as the No. 5 seed at the Big 12 Tennis Championships.
The Buffs took control of the match in the early stages securing the doubles point with a pair of sweeps.
Hedelund Jensen and Probert took care of business at No. 3 with an 8-3 win over Petra Chuda and Katka Kudlackova. It was third straight win for Hedelund Jensen/Probert and their team-leading 12th victory. They also lead CU in spring tallies with 10.
The Buffaloes capped the doubles point at No. 1 with Esposito and Camila Belassi edging Huljev/Sertic, 8-6 for their fifth victory in their last six outings, and eight of their last 10 matches.
The Buffs are now 10-2 on the year when winning the doubles point.
With the addition of the doubles point, CU added a pair of straight set wins from junior Melisa Esposito and freshman Michala Hedelund Jensen for the 4-0 team victory.
Hedelund Jensen, who earned her first CU's Female Athlete of the Week honor from Apr. 13-19, also picked up her 11th spring triumph. At No. 2, Esposito cruised to her personal-best 22nd victory of the year over Mariya Slupska, 6-1, 6-2. Esposito picked up her 61st career singles win (t-22nd at CU).
#5 Colorado 4, #12 Kansas State 0
CU (12-9), K-State (4-15)
April 23, Norman, Okla.
Big 12 Tennis Championships 1st Round
1d) Belassi/Esposito (CU) def. Huljev/Sertic (KSU) 8-6
2d) Anuszkiewicz/Jendrian (CU) vs. Slupksa/Vieira (KSU) 7-6, unfinished
3d) Hedelund Jensen/Probert (CU) def. Chuda/Kudlackova (KSU) 8-3
Order of Finish: 3, 1*
1s) Camila Belassi (CU) vs. Antea Huljev (KSU) 5-7, 1-3, unfinished
2s) Melisa Esposito (CU) def. Mariya Slupska (KSU) 6-1, 6-2
3s) Abbie Probert (CU) vs. Nina Sertic (KSU) 0-6, 5-3, unfinished
4s) Franziska Jendrian (CU) def. Katka Kudlackova (KSU) 6-4, 6-0
5s) Michala Hedelund Jensen (CU) def. Petra Chuda (KSU) 6-0, 6-2
6s) Ania Anuszkiewicz (CU) vs. Natasha Vieira (KSU) 4-6, 1-0, unfinished
Order of Finish: 5, 2, 4*
Match Notes vs. Kansas State
-CU improves to 9-3 against schools from the Central Region and 4-1 on neutral courts
-Third straight spring and six of seven, Colorado has won at least 12 matches in a season
-Jendrian moved into a second place tie on CU's list of All-Big 12 wins (29)
-Esposito earned her 23rd career Big 12 victory moving into a sixth place tie for most conference victories at CU
-Esposito picked up her 23rd conference career doubles win moving into a tie for sixth at CU
-Belassi earned her 20th career conference doubles win (ninth at CU)
-Probert won her 15th career conference doubles win (t-15th at CU)
-Belassi/Esposito earned their second clinching doubles point
-Jendrian is tied for second place at CU winning her 29th career Big 12 singles match
-Jendrian adds to her school-record 161 combined singles (85) and doubles (76) win total
CU vs. Nebraska Match Notes
-CU leads series 18-14 and 8-6 in Big 12 matches
-The Cornhuskers defeated CU last Sunday (Apr. 19) in Boulder, 5-2
-CU is 1-0 against NU at the Big 12 Championships (Apr. 29, 2005, 4-2 in Austin) avenging a Cornhuskers loss five days earlier on Senior Day in Boulder
-last No. 5 seed to advance past the quarterfinals to the semis, was Oklahoma State in 2007, defeating No. 4 CU
-a No. 5 seed has never advanced to the final
-last No. 1 seed not to make final was Baylor in 2003, defeated by No. 8 seed CU, 4-2
-CU is the last low seed (No. 8) to make semifinal at the Big 12 Tennis Championships
POST MATCH QUOTES
Colorado head coach Nicole Kenneally
On the match:
“We knew we were going to have a good battle on our hands. We had a victory against them in the regular season that was a really tough, hard-fought win. We knew that that's what it was going to be today. They definitely played better doubles against us today than they did in the regular season. The singles was just like that as well.”
On Friday quarterfinals matchup versus Nebraska:
“We're excited about that. We actually played them on Sunday and lost to them, so we're looking to rebound from that and advance another round.”
Colorado senior Franziska Jendrian
On the match:
“In singles, I played really well. I got out there, played my game and adjusted to the wind. It was very close first set. It was very important to get the set and keep going and keep the momentum. That's what I did and ran with it, basically, and closed it out in the second set.”
Players Mentioned
