Buffs Ready for Regionals

BOULDER – The Colorado Buffaloes tennis team will return to action for the ITA Mountain Region Championship tomorrow at the New Mexico State University Tennis Center for a chance to qualify for the NCAA Individual Championships.

After three weeks off from competition, more for some, the Buffs are excited to finally get back and compete. For some, the last competition was at the Baylor Invite and for others it was at the ITA All-American Championships. For the first tournament back being the ITA Mountain Region Championship, the team will have a big opportunity to compete against the best teams and players in the surrounding schools.

With the rule change moving the NCAA Individual Championships to the fall, the automatic qualification that comes with regionals adds a layer of importance. The two finalists in singles play and the winning doubles team will earn an automatic bid to the Individual Championships November 19-24.

"Regionals is a good opportunity for us," head coach Anthony Pham said on the tournament. "Especially with the changes in the schedule, with the NCAA Individual Championships being moved to the fall, regionals now have that much more emphasis put on it. It's a good opportunity for our players, we've had a good two-and-a-half weeks of training. I think they've done a good job putting their head down and getting to work every day. I'm excited to see the progress we've made."

Going into the tournament the recognition of the work and success has continued to come in the form of seeding. In singles, three are seeded in the main draw: Aya El Sayed No. 2, Mila Stanojevic No. 3, and Betina Tokac No. 15. In doubles, two teams are seeded: El Sayed and Pia Rebec No. 1 and Stanojevic and Rixt van der Werff No. 4.

This marks the first time since 2019 with a doubles team seeded No. 1 heading into regionals and the first time since Nuria Ormeño Ruiz that a Buff was seeded as high as No. 2 in singles.

With the increased recognition heading into tournaments a few of the Buffs are now seen as the ones to knock off. Pham knows his team is ready for the challenge, "I think they've done a good job preparing themselves. Being seeded is a nice thing that hopefully gives them validation to what they've been doing and being recognized from the ITA and schools in the region that they are one of the players and we are one of the teams to watch out for."

After being split for the first three tournaments of the fall, this will be the first time all nine players are traveling on the same trip.

"They're excited to spend time with each other on the road," Pham said. "Watch each other compete and build those bonds that you can only really build competing with each other, watching each other, and supporting one another. It's another opportunity for us to come together and keep getting to know each other. With it being regionals, there are lots of opportunities for us and we're going to take advantage of it."

Follow along for tournament updates on our social media @cubuffstennis.

Schedule:
Thursday, October 17 - Singles Qualifying R64, Qualifying R32, Qualifying ConsR32; Doubles R64
Friday, October 18 - Singles R64, R32; Doubles R32
Saturday, October 19 - Singles R16, ConsR32; Doubles R16
Sunday, October 20 - Singles QF*; Doubles QF*
Monday, October 21 - Singles SF; Doubles SF
Tuesday, October 22 - Singles F, 3/4 playoff; Doubles F

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Aya El Sayed

Pia Rebec

Mila Stanojevic

Betina Tokac

Rixt van der Werff