Buffs Lose Final Match Of The Regular Season 4-1 To Utah

SALT LAKE CITY – Making one final trip in the regular season, Colorado's women's tennis team lost their season finale 4-1 to the Utah Utes on Saturday here in Salt Lake City at the George S. Eccles Tennis Center.

The loss means that Colorado will finish with a 9-12 (1-9 Pac-12) record while Utah improves their own record to 9-10 (3-7 Pac-12).

WHAT HAPPENED
The Buffs came out and were unable to start the match on a high note, dropping the doubles point and putting themselves behind a point heading into singles.

CU sophomores Annabelle Andrinopoulos and Brigitte Beck were paired up at the No. 2 spot, but they couldn't get a win against the Utah pairing of Taylor Calton and Jena Cheng as they dropped the match 6-3 to start the day's scoring.

Shortly after the first domino fell, Utah's grouping of Whitney Turley and Luisa Gerstner Da Rosa clinched the doubles point for the Utes taking down the Buff duo of junior Kyra Wojcik and sophomore Ilana Oleynik 6-3.

With doubles going to Utes, the match moved into singles competition with the score sitting at 1-0 and Utah holding onto the early lead.

Utah senior Luisa Gerstner Da Rosa celebrated her senior day with the first win at singles in the match, taking the No. 6 spot in straight sets against CU's Beck 7-5, 6-1.

Without wasting much time, the Utes took control of the match when at the No. 5 spot Utah's Whitney Turley defeated CU freshman Chloe Hule in straight sets 7-6, 6-2.

The win left CU down 3-0 to Utah with the top four matches left to be decided.

But it was in those four matches that the Buffs showed how much heart and determination that they have, refusing to go down without a fight forcing all four of those matches to a third set with all four top Buffs taking each second set down the line.

Playing the No.2 spot for only the second time this season, and third time in her career, Andrinopoulos set the tone for the Buffs' finish mounting a strong comeback against Utah's Brianna Turley.

After dropping the first set 6-3, Andrinopoulos drew a line in the sand and wouldn't let Turley cross it again taking the second set 6-4 to force the third and deciding set. From there Andrionpoulos didn't look back and she dominated the third set 6-1 to give the Buffs their first and only win on the day.

Utah wouldn't let the Buffs get any more points, when at the No. 1 spot Utah's Margo Pletcher stopped CU senior Nuria Ormeño Ruiz's attempts to force a third set taking the match in straight sets 7-5, 6-4 to give Utah the 4-1 win in the match.

NOTABLE
For CU's Andrinopoulos it was only the third time she's played at the No. 2 spot in her career, with the second being recently at No. 40 USC (Apr. 8) but the first time she had done it was all the way back in the beginning of her freshman season when she played and won No. 2 against Air Force (Jan. 17, 2016); It was also Andrinopoulos's second three set win of the season, the first being against Boise State (Jan. 29).

QUOTABLE
"Today we fought hard and continued to compete right until the end. We now have a short turn around before we play out in Ojai on Wednesday."

Up Next: With the regular season over the Buffs now look ahead to Wednesday, April 26 and the beginning of the Pac-12 Championships in Ojai, California. Links to any information posted about the championships will be provided on Twitter.

Utah 4, Colorado 1
April 22, 2017 at George S. Eccles Tennis Center
Singles:
1. Margo Pletcher (Utah) def. Nuria Ormeño Ruiz (CU) 7-5, 6-4
2. Annabelle Andrinopoulos (CU) def. Brianna Turley (Utah) 3-6, 6-4, 6-1
3. Louise Ronaldson (CU) v. Alexia Petrovic (Utah) DNF
4. Kyra Wojcik (CU) v. Jena Cheng (Utah) DNF
5. Whitney Turley (Utah) def. Chloe Hule (CU) 7-6, 6-2
6 Luisa Gerstner Da Rosa (Utah) def. Brigitte Beck (CU) 7-5, 6-1
Order of Finish: 6, 5, 2, 1*
Doubles:
1. Louise Ronaldson/Chloe Hule (CU) v. Margo Pletcher/Brianna Turley (Utah) DNF
2. Taylor Calton/Jena Cheng (Utah) def. Brigitte Beck/Annabelle Andrinopoulos (CU) 6-3
3. Whitney Turley/Luisa Gerstner Da Rosa (Utah) def. Ilana Oleynik/Kyra Wojcik (Utah) 6-3
Order of Finish: 2, 3*

Twitter: @CUBuffsTennis
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cubuffstennis/

BUFFS BLAST
Subscribe to Buffs Blast, Colorado Athletics' email newsletters. You'll receive the latest and greatest Colorado Buffalo news,
highlights, exclusive offers and more!!

Sign up here: http://www.cubuffs.com/sports/2008/9/16/buffs-blast.aspx

Buffs Lose Final Match Of The Regular Season 4-1 To Utah

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Annabelle Andrinopoulos

Brigitte Beck

Chloe Hule

Ilana Oleynik

Nuria Ormeño Ruiz

Louise Ronaldson

Kyra Wojcik