Colorado Sweeps the Weekend in Wyoming

Laramie, Wyo. – The Colorado Buffaloes Tennis team finished the weekend with a sweep after taking down Wyoming 4-1 at the Wyoming Indoor Tennis Complex Sunday afternoon. Colorado would win the first four singles matches after dropping the doubles point.

After the longest road trip of the season to open the season, Colorado (4-1) has continued to find different ways to win. After dropping the doubles point for the first time this season, the Buffs would win every singles match against Wyoming (3-4) to clinch the match.

Doubles was not the strength it has been for the Buffs, losing at both the No. 1 and No. 2 spots giving the Cowgirls the doubles point and the lead 1-0.

At the start of singles Wyoming continued to put it on the Buffs, until the end of the first sets for Aya El Sayed and Mila Stanojevic. Both down most of their first sets battled back to win the first set and act as catalyst for the rest of the match. Both would go in to win their matches in straight sets and giving the Buffs the lead.

"Aya (El Sayed) made great adjustments, she figured out what she needed to do and she stayed with it," head coach Anthony Pham said on Aya El Sayed and Mila Stanojevic. "For Mila she's grown in so many ways and she's a much smarter and more mature tennis player. She handles the situations in such a mature fashion now. She did a good job managing her court, managing her emotions, and then really problem solving."

As the match continued the next two followed a similar blueprint, Betina Tokac and Elys Ventura both dropped their first set 6-2, but that was not the end for them. Quickly they mounted their comebacks, first Tokac and then Ventura to clinch the match and give the Buffs a 4-1 victory.

"I'm really proud of our group, and I told them that we've been on the road for the first month and they've done a really good job of handling every test that they have been put in front of them.," Pham said. "We won the match in a different way, today we dropped the doubles point for the first time this season, and toget the first sets from Mila (Stanojevic) and Aya (El Sayed) made a big difference. Then seeing Betina (Tokac) and Kiwi (Elys Ventura) battle and win the second set, it was huge.Our group did a great job of problem solving today."

HOW IT HAPPENED

For the first time this spring Mila Stanojevic and Elys Ventura dropped their doubles match, falling 6-3 to Wyoming's Brink and Dobrilova.
Another first for the season, Colorado lost the doubles point after Aya El Sayed and Pia Rebec fell at the No. 1 spot 6-3 to Borodina and Zehender.
Ema Bubalo and Anya Nelson's match against Ante and Malinak was unfinished after the doubles point was clinched, leaving the score at 5-4 in favor of the Cowgirls.
Singles, would look different for the Buffs, starting at the top spot for El Sayed. The match would not start how she wanted, going down 5-3 in the first set to Sophie Zehender. After that point El Sayed would win the next eight games to clinch the match with a score of 7-5, 6-3 to tie it up at one for the Buffs.
With the score tied up, Colorado looked to extend the lead at No. 4 singles and Betina Tokac. After the first set it didn't look like it was going that way after dropping the first set 6-2 to Wyoming's Jeselle Ante, but it would not stay that way for long. She finished the match winning the second and third set 6-2, 6-0 to give the Buffs a 2-1 lead.
On the other side of the Wyoming Indoor Tennis Complex, Stanojevic was in a battle of her own against Violetta Borodina at No. 3 singles. In the first set Borodina was controlling the match, every time Stanojevic would tie the set, Borodina would retake the lead. It stayed that way till the game stood at 6-5. Stanojevic would win the point, setting up a seven-point tiebreaker for the set. After going up 3-0 in the tiebreaker, Borodina fought back to even it up at three. The four remaining point came to Stanojevic leading to a 7-6(4) first set win. In the second set the roles were reversed, Stanojevic controlled the set from start to finish, culminating in a 6-4 win to finish the match and give Colorado a 3-1 lead.
At No. 2 singles, Ventura went up 2-0 early in the first set against Noesjka Brink, but would not win a game the rest of the set losing 6-2. Much like the last two wins for the Buffs, Ventura would close the match strong. In the final two sets she would both 6-2 to clinch the match for the Buffs.
Matches at No. 5 and No. 6 singles had just begun when the match was clinched. Rebec led 5-2 at No. 5 and Carri Hayes led 2-1 at No. 6.

UP NEXT
The Buffs will finally have their first home matches of the season next week as Air Force and Missouri come to town. Air force will begin Saturday at 10 a.m. and Missouri will follow on Sunday also with a 10 a.m. start. Both matches will take place at the Rocky Mountain Tennis Center.

RESULTS
Colorado 4, Wyoming 1
February 4, 2024
Laramie, Wyoming (Wyoming Indoor Tennis Courts)

Doubles
1.   Borodina/Zehender (WYO) def. El Sayed/Rebec (CU) 6-3
2.   Brink/Dobrilova (WYO) def. Stanojevic/Ventura (CU) 6-3
3.   Bubalo/Nelson (CU) vs Ante/Malinak (WYO) 4-5, unf.
Order of Finish (2,1*)

Singles
1.   Aya El Sayed (CU) vs. Sophie Zehender (WYO) 7-5, 6-0
2.   Elys Ventura (CU) def. Noesjka Brink (WYO) 2-6, 6-2, 6-2
3.   Mila Stanojevic (CU) def. Violetta Borodina (WYO) 7-6 (4), 6-4
4.   Betina Tokac (CU) def. Jeselle Ante (WYO) 2-6, 6-2, 6-0
5.   Pia Rebec (CU) vs. Nikol Dobrilova (WYO) 5-2, unf.
6.   Carri Hayes (CU) vs. Lucia Malinak (WYO) 2-1, unf.
Order of Finish: (1,4,3,2*)

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Players Mentioned

Ema Bubalo

Aya El Sayed

Carri Hayes

Anya Nelson

Pia Rebec

Mila Stanojevic

Betina Tokac

Elys Ventura