Colorado
Second Round
Tennis Makes History At Pac-12 Championships
April 24, 2015 | Tennis
OJAI, Calif. – It was another history making day for the University of Colorado women's tennis team as a pair of doubles teams advanced to the quarterfinal round, then another reached the semifinals at the Pac-12 Tennis Championships, Friday afternoon on day two at the Ojai Valley Athletic Club.
It was the first time in the four-year history of the Pac-12 Conference, the Buffaloes sent a pair of doubles tandems to the quarterfinal round of any main draw bracket.
In the Round of 16, junior Alex Aiello and sophomore Nuria Ormeño Ruiz edged the Stanford tandem of Krista Hardebeck/Paulette Wolak, 8-6. Playing in only their second 2015 spring match together, Aiello/Ormeño Ruiz jumped out to a 5-0 lead and held steady throughout the match, holding a slim 7-6 advantage, before closing it out at 8-6.
Aiello/Ormeño Ruiz became the first CU duo to advance to the Pac-12 Quarters since 2013 when Winde Janssens and Carla Manzi Tenorio blanked Duranteau/Posylkin from California, 8-0 in the Round of 16 Invitational. The May 2014 graduates, then lost to Herring/Kostas from Stanford in the quarterfinals.
Hours later, Aiello/Ormeño Ruiz performed another school-first, reaching the main draw conference semifinals, this time defeating Arizona State's Alexandra Osborne/Leighann Sahagun, 8-6. The pair of wins evens Aiello/Ormeño Ruiz' record to 5-5 for the year.
Aiello/Ormeño Ruiz will play Capucine Gregoire/Riko Shimizu (Washington) on Saturday at 10 a.m. (MT). Grgoire/Shimizu upset No. 1 seed Lynn Chi/Karla Popovic of California in Friday's quarterfinals, 8-6.
It wasn't long thereafter, more history for the CU tennis program was made when freshmen Tina Bokhua and Kyra Wojcik teamed up for the first time this season, defeating Arizona State's Gussie O'Sullivan/Ebony Panoho, 8-4. Leading throughout, Bokhua/Wojcik raced out to a commanding 6-2 advantage and never looked back.
The CU victory moved another Buffs' doubles team to the quarterfinals, a school-first.
Coming up short in the Doubles Championship Bracket, seniors Julyette Steur and Ashley Tiefel lost to the No. 20 ranked team from USC, Giuliana Olmos/Zoe Scandalis, 8-3. It was Steur/Tiefel's first match together this season, however the CU pair went 14-9 as a tandem a year ago.
In singles, Aiello's run came to an end in the main draw of the Invitational Bracket, falling to No. 2 seed and No. 84 ranked Meredith Xepoleas of USC, 6-2, 6-0. Aiello still etched her name in the CU record book by becoming the first women's tennis player to win a singles main draw match, in addition winning another main draw match, advancing to the quarterfinal round.
In additional singles play (no bracket), Steur finished her collegiate career on a winning note, defeating Elizaveta Luzina (Washington State) 6-1, 6-4. The victory was her 18th of the year, tying two others for most singles for the year, and her 12th of the spring, tying for the second most this dual season.
Steur ends her CU collegiate career with 111 career victories (tying for No. 19 in women's tennis history); tied-No. 24 in career singles (61); No. 24 in career doubles wins (50); 25th CU woman to win at least 60 singles matches; and the program's all-time leader in career Pac-12 singles/doubles wins (14).
Pac-12 Tennis Championships
Friday, April 24
Ojai Valley Athletic Club, Ojai, Calif.
Singles Invitational Bracket
Quarterfinals
Friday, April 24
(2 seed/No. 84) Meredith Xepoleas (USC) def. Alex Aiello (CU) 6-2, 6-0
Doubles Championships Bracket
Round of 16
(20) Giuliana Olmos/Zoe Scandalis (USC) def. Julyette Steur/Ashley Tiefel (CU) 8-3
Invitational Doubles Bracket
Round of 16
Friday, April 24
Alex Aiello/Nuria Ormeño Ruiz (CU) def. Krista Hardebeck/Paulette Wolak (Stanford) 8-6
Tina Bokhua/Kyra Wojcik (CU) def. Gussie O'Sullivan/Ebony Panoho (Arizona State) 8-4
Quarterfinals
Aiello/Ormeño Ruiz (CU) def. Alexandra Osborne/Leighann Sahagun (Arizona State) 8-6
Jena Cheng/Sarah Richter (Utah) def. Tina Bokhua/Kyra Wojcik (CU) 8-5
Extra Singles Matches (no bracket)
Julyette Steur (CU) def. Elizaveta Luzina (Washington State) 6-1, 6-4
Karla Popovic (California) def. Tina Bokhua (CU) 6-3, 6-3
Alexandra Osborne (Arizona State) def. Kyra Wojcik (CU) 6-7(4), 6-1, 1-0(2)
Donika Bashota (Washington State) def. Nuria Ormeño Ruiz (CU) 7-5, 7-6(4)
Invitational Doubles Bracket
Semifinal
Saturday, April 25, 10 a.m. (MT)
Alex Aiello/Nuria Ormeño Ruiz (CU) vs. Capucine Gregoire/Riko Shimizu (Washington
Players Mentioned
