Colorado
Arizona State
CU Drops Pac-12 Opener To No. 26 ASU
March 12, 2016 | Tennis
BOULDER – Under beautiful clear blue skies the University of Colorado women's tennis team kicked off Pac-12 competition with a tough 7-0 loss to the No. 26 Arizona State Sun Devils Friday afternoon at the South Campus Tennis Complex.
The loss drops CU's record to 5-7 and 0-1 in the Pac-12. ASU improves its record to 8-4 (2-1 Pac-12).
“I think we had a couple of bright spots in there,” said CU head coach Nicole Kenneally. “We just have to keep realizing that if something doesn't quite go your way, that doesn't mean you walk away. Against any team in the Pac-12 you're going to be competing against solid teams every match. So if you walk away once, you're helping their cause. I think on several courts in several different situations we didn't walk away, but in a couple of situations we did.”
ASU sent out two ranked doubles teams to face the Buffs. And the Sun Devils women held serve on their rankings winning the doubles point 2-0.
The doubles team of freshman Brigitte Beck and senior Alex Aiello dropped the first match for CU playing the third spot against the nationally ranked No.69 tandem of junior Kassidy Jump and freshman Sammi Hampton 6-2. The two Buffs women did force a tie at two all, but the Sun Devils women didn't drop a game the rest of the way for the win.
ASU clinched the doubles point at the number two position with its senior doubles team Desirae Krawczyk and Stephanie Vlad defeating the Buff team of junior Nuria Ormeño Ruiz and sophomore Kyra Wojcik 6-3.
The win gave ASU a 1-0 lead in the overall match score heading into singles play.
In the number one position, Ormeño Ruiz dropped her match in straight sets 6-3, 6-4 to ASU's nationally-ranked No. 23 Desirae Krawczyk. Ormeño Ruiz did win two straight games in the first set with her back against the wall down 1-5, but it wasn't enough. And even though she brought it within 4-5 in the second, Ormeño Ruiz wasn't able to close the gap fast enough and dropped the second set.
ASU grabbed its second singles point at the number five spot when Hampton defeated Wojcik in straight sets 6-3, 6-3. In the second set Wojcik was able to tie things up at three all but the next three games would go to Hampton and along with that the match win.
The clinching point for ASU came at the number six slot when junior Gussie O'Sullivan defeated CU's Beck in another straight set completion 6-1, 6-3. After dropping the first set without putting up that much of a fight, Beck dug deep in the second set and was able to trade the first four games with O'Sullivan tying it at two all before dropping the next three games and eventually the match.
“We've just got to keep pounding the pavement and keep working hard,” said Kenneally. “We need to keep our heads up and keep doing the things we are doing well, then keep working on the things we aren't doing well.”
CU's Jeannez Daniel provided the best match of the day for the Buffs. Taking on nationally ranked No. 54 Kassidy Jump, Daniel lost in straight sets 6-4, 6-3 but not without putting up a fight.
She had the lead for a majority of the first set before dropping the last four games and the set. In the second set Daniel did win two straight games in the middle of the set, bringing the score close at 3-4. But much like the first set she dropped the next two games to lose the set and match.
The Buffs Aiello played in the number three spot, and even though she was able to take the first set, she lost the last two sets to ASU's senior Ebony Panoho losing the match 4-6, 6-0, 6-0. Aiello looked solid in the first set, but Panoho seriously locked things down taking the next two sets in straight games to complete the comeback.
Finishing up the day was the match at the number four position between Annabelle Andrinopoulos and ASU's Vlad. Vlad would complete another comeback for ASU wining the match 5-7, 6-2, 10-1.
“Overall, on Sunday, we need to come out here and leave the courts feeling good about ourselves,” said Kenneally. “Arizona has a short turnaround and they're traveling (Utah) so since we're playing at home it should be an advantage. We need to take advantage of that on Sunday.”
CU returns to action on Sunday morning as it welcomes another Pac-12 foe in No. 59 Arizona. Kenneally and UA's head coach will determine Saturday evening whether the match will be played indoors or outside based on the forecast. Check cubuffs.com and @CUBuffsTennis on Twitter for the final decision. If the match is played indoors at the Rocky Mountain Tennis Center, it will begin at 10 a.m. If it's outside at CU's South Campus Tennis Complex, it will start at 11 a.m. Arizona lost at No. 63 Utah on Friday afternoon and the Wildcats bring a record of 9-6 (0-3 PAC-12) to Boulder.
No. 26 Arizona State 7, Colorado 0
March 11, 2016 at Boulder, Colo. (South Campus Tennis Complex)
Singles
1. No. 23 Krawczyk, Desirae (ASU) def. Ormeño Ruiz, Nuria (CU) 6-3, 6-4
2. No. 54 Jump, Kassidy (ASU) def. Daniel, Jeannez (CU) 6-4, 6-3
3. Panoho, Ebony (ASU) def. Aiello, Alex (CU) 4-6, 6-0, 6-0
4. Vlad, Stephanie (ASU) def. Andrinopoulos, Annabelle (CU) 5-7, 6-2, 10-1
5. Hampton, Sammi (ASU) def. Wojcik, Kyra (CU) 6-3, 6-3
6. O'Sullivan, Gussie (ASU) def. Beck, Brigitte (CU) 6-1, 6-3
Order of Finish: 1, 5, 6*, 2, 3, 4
Doubles
1. Daniel, Jeannez/Andrinopoulos, Annabelle (CU) v. No. 23 Panoho, Ebony/Osborne, Alexandra (ASU) DNF
2. Krawczyk, Desirae/Vlad, Stephanie (ASU) def. Ormeño Ruiz, Nuria/Wojcik, Kyra (CU) 6-3
3. No. 69 Jump, Kassidy/Hampton, Sammi (ASU) def. Beck, Brigitte/Aiello, Alex (CU) 6-2
Order of Finish: 3, 2*
Players Mentioned
