Colorado
South Carolina
No. 63 Netters Fall 5-2
March 20, 2010 | Tennis
Colorado was coming off two straight conference losses and played some of their best tennis of the season, however fell to 7-6 overall, in addition to losing their third straight overall.
The Buffaloes, without their top doubles team, started the match strong, taking two of three matches to win the doubles point. Junior Abbie Probert and sophomore Michala Hedelund Jensen, going for their third straight doubles win, executed well with an 8-3 win at the No. 3 position. Senior Melisa Esposito, who was without her normal doubles partner Camila Belassi, due to an injury, played with freshman Erin Sanders and fell 8-6.
Tied 1-1, senior Monica Milewski and sophomore teammate Ania Anuszkiewicz, upset the 20th-ranked doubles team in the nation of Ana Marija Zubori and Dijana Stojic, 8-6, clinching the doubles point for the Buffs. Milewski and Anuszkiewicz are now on a six-game doubles winning streak, and have won seven of their last eight matches.
"Getting the doubles point today was big," said CU head coach Nicole Kenneally. "You always like to play with a lead and getting out in front early was important against a team like South Carolina."
Ahead 1-0 heading into singles play, the visitors evened the score taking the No. 3 slot 6-2, 6-1.
Esposito, CU's No. 2 and No. 110th nationally ranked player moved into 10th place on the CU's all-time victories list defeating Dijana Stojic, 6-2, 4-6, 6-2. Esposito secured her 76th career win and won for the seventh time in her last 10 matches.
With the Buffaloes ahead once again, Milewski looked to give CU a 3-1 advantage battling the nation's No. 92nd ranked player, Ana Marija Zubori, however dropped a 7-6(5), 2-6, 6-2 decision.
With the matched tied at 2-2, the Buffaloes continued to fight their way toward the upset.
Shortly after Milewski's three-set loss, Anuszkiewicz dropped a 6-2, 6-2 match at No. 5, as did Hedelund Jensen at the No. 4 slot, 7-5, 4-6, 6-1, and Sanders at No. 6, by a 6-4, 6-4 score.
This is the second time this season CU has lost to a No. 22-ranked team (Vanderbilt). South Carolina now owns a 3-0 series lead against the Buffaloes.
Despite the loss, the team played some of their strongest matches of the season and Kenneally knows there is no reason to dwell on the loss.
"We were with them," Kenneally said. "After such strong doubles play you want to follow that up in singles, and for the most part we did but there were a few times where we put the pressure on ourselves to win. We need to know that when we are ahead in singles, we shift the pressure on them to succeed instead of on us to perform. Today, we put the pressure on ourselves instead of South Carolina."
The Buffaloes will jump back into conference play traveling to No. 56 Oklahoma State (Friday, March 26) and No. 34 Oklahoma (Sunday, Mar. 28).
No. 22 South Carolina 5, No. 63 Colorado2
USC (9-4), CU (7-6)
March 20, Millennium Hotel Harvest House, Boulder, Colo.
1d) Milewski/Anuszkiewicz (CU) def. (20) Zubori/Stojic (USC) 8-6
2d) Jocic/Maisak (USC) def Esposito/Sanders (CU) 8-6
3d) Hedelund Jensen/Probert (CU) def. Morgina/Pereira (USC) 8-3
Order of Finish: 3, 2, *1
1) (92) Ana Marija Zubori (USC) def. (121) Monica Milewski 7-6(5), 2-6, 6-2
2) (110) Melisa Esposito (CU) def. Dijana Stojic (USC) 6-2, 4-6, 6-2
3) Anya Morgina (USC) def. Abbie Probert (CU) 6-2, 6-1
4) Miljana Jocic (USC) def. Michala Hedelund Jensen (CU) 7-5, 4-6, 6-1
5) Adriana Pereira (USC) def. Ania Anuszkiewicz (CU) 6-2, 6-2
6) Rita Maisak (USC) def. Erin Sanders (CU) 6-4, 6-4
Order of Finish: 3, 2, 1, 5, 4*, 6
Players Mentioned
