Colorado University Athletics
Colorado
Day Two
Tennis Sends Trio Into Sunday's Finals
November 02, 2013 | Tennis
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – University of Colorado juniors Julyette Steur and Ashley Tiefel, along with sophomore Alex Aiello each won straight set single matches on Saturday to advance to their respective singles finals at the six-team Lobo Invitational hosted by the University of New Mexico.
Over the two-day Lobo Invite so far, the Buffaloes have engineered an impressive 9-3 singles record playing opponents from the New Mexico, Northern Arizona, Grand Canyon, Texas-El Paso, and Texas Tech.
On Saturday, Steur won her fourth of five matches this fall season with a 6-3, 6-4 winner over Davina Meza of Texas-El Paso in the Cherry Singles semifinal bracket. Steur will play Priscilla Annoual of Grand Canyon in the finals. Annoual defeated CU freshman Nuria Ormeño Ruiz in the other semifinal, 6-2, 2-6, 6-2.
Tiefel won her sixth match of the fall in nine outings and stormed into the Turquoise Singles Bracket defeating Rachana Bhat of New Mexico, 6-0, 6-3. Tiefel will play Beatriz Santos of Texas Tech in Sunday's final after Santos defeated CU senior Carla Manzi Tenorio, 6-4, 6-4.
In the Silver Singles Bracket, Aiello won her fourth straight singles match of the fall season (seventh overall) as she edged Texas Tech's Sara Toti, 6-3, 6-4. Aiello will play Emily Oliver of New Mexico in Sunday's final after Oliver defeated CU senior Winde Janssens 6-1, 6-1.
“We competed hard and continue to play well,” said CU head coach Nicole Kenneally. “From the fall to the spring semester you get to see the character of the team grow into good chemistry and that's important for us; we're continuing to learn and compete. We may have been edged in the two doubles finals, but we had solid performances throughout the day, and I'm happy with that.”
On the final day of the doubles competition, CU recorded a 4-2 record falling in the Cherry and Silver Bracket finals, while winning a consolation final. In the consolation final (Cherry), Ruiz and Janssens won a pair of Saturday morning matches defeating teams from Northern Arizona and Grand Canyon.
Ormeño Ruiz and Janssens, CU's winningest pair this fall season with their sixth and seventh doubles wins, defeated teams from Northern Arizona and Grand Canyon with 8-2 and 8-1 scores.
In the main Cherry Doubles Bracket, Steur and Tiefel won their semifinal edging Michaela Bezdickova and Lizette Blankers from New Mexico, 8-6 in the semifinals, but came up short in the finals, falling to former Big 12 foe from Texas Tech, Sarah Toti and Beatriz Machado Santos, 8-2.
Aiello/Manzi Tenorio also won their Silver Doubles Bracket semifinal over New Mexico's Susan Baklini and Emily Olivier, 8-6, then came up short in the final, falling to Grand Canyon's Priscilla Annoual and Alexandra Petrzalkova, 8-4.
University of New Mexico Invitational
Singles Results – Day Two
Saturday, November 2
Silver Semifinal
Alex Aiello (CU) def. Sara Toti (Texas Tech) 6-3, 6-4
Emily Oliver (New Mexico) def. Winde Janssens (CU) 6-1, 6-1
Cherry Semifinal
Julyette Steur (CU) def. Davina Meza (Texas-El Paso) 6-3, 6-4
Priscilla Annoual (Grand Canyon) def. Nuria Ormeño Ruiz (CU) 2-6, 6-2, 6-2
Turquoise Semifinal
Ashley Tiefel (CU) def. Rachana Bhat (New Mexico) 6-0, 6-3
Beatriz Santos (Texas Tech) def. Carla Manzi Tenorio (CU) 6-4, 6-4
Silver Doubles Bracket
Semifinals
Manzi Tenorio/Aiello (CU) def. Susan Baklini/Emily Olivier (New Mexico) 8-6
Finals
Priscilla Annoual/Alexandra Petrzalkova (Grand Canyon) def. Manzi Tenorio/Aiello (CU) 8-4
Cherry Doubles Bracket
Semifinals
Steur/Tiefel (CU) def. Michaela Bezdickova/Lizette Blankers (New Mexico) 8-6
Finals
Sarah Toti/Beatriz Machado Santos (Texas Tech) def. Steur/Tiefel (CU) 8-2
Cherry Doubles Consolation Semifinals
Ormeno Ruiz/Janssens (CU) def. Hailey Rochin/Olivia Headford (Northern Arizona) 8-2
Consolation Finals
Ormeno Ruiz/Janssens (CU) def. Frederique Van de Velde/Janaki Gunuganti (Grand Canyon) 8-1
Players Mentioned
