Friday, March 21
Boulder, Colo.
2 p.m
Colorado
vs
#17 UCF
Buffs Back Home For Two Matches
March 20, 2025 | Tennis
BOULDER – Colorado returns home for its longest home stand of the season, beginning with No. 17 UCF and Houston this weekend.
Coming off a tough stretch for the team, Colorado is looking to use the home stand to create some momentum from now on. The Buffs will start with a tough opponent in No. 17 UCF on Friday and follow it up with Houston on Sunday.
"We're happy to be back home," head coach Anthony Pham said. "It doesn't get any easier for us; both UCF and Houston are good programs. We have to keep controlling what we can control. Our effort, our fight, and the way we battled the last handful of matches have been great. Now, we have to try to find ways to make a couple more plays. We will keep pushing forward and put ourselves in the best position."
The Buffs will look to use the two weeks back in Boulder to get back to their routines and find comfort as they continue in Big 12 Play.
"Anytime you are at home, it helps," Pham commented. "When they have their regular routine and comforts, it can make a difference. We are happy to be at home and playing in front of our own fans."
Starting on Friday at 2:00 p.m. at the CU South Tennis Courts, the Buffs will be across the net from the Knights for the first time in program history. The Knights are coming in as one of the hottest teams in the conference, currently the only team in the Big 12 without a conference loss at 14-1 and 6-0 in the Big 12. UCF has three ranked singles players, and one ranked double's pairing coming to Boulder.
The Buffs will return to the courts Sunday at 2:00 p.m. against Houston. Due to weather conditions, the location will be announced following the match on Friday. This will be the ninth meeting against the Cougars and only the third since 2000. Colorado holds a 4-3-1 record, with the first-ever meeting in 1979 a tie. This will be only the second matchup in Boulder; the Cougars won the initial meeting 5-4 in 1982.
"Every team we play in the Big 12 is good; UCF and Houston are no different," Pham said. "We approach every match the same. We've got to take care of what we take can care of. Whoever's playing across the net is going to be good. We have to take care of our side of the net, compete and battle, and continue to be in the right position."
On Colorado's side of the net, they have been dealing with injuries throughout conference play, which has given different players opportunities at different spots in the lineup. Last weekend, Anya Nelson and Betina Tokac both played different roles than they had previously this season. Nelson had been almost exclusively a doubles player this season but made her first conference singles appearance against TCU. She was leading in the third set when the match was clinched. Tokac, on the flip side, after playing mostly singles this season, made a doubles appearance with new partner Pia Rebec. With Rebec, they led 6-5 in doubles when the point was clinched, ending the match.
With new players in different spots, the team is still fighting against some of the best teams in the country, which is what Pham has emphasized.
"One thing with our group, they just continue to step up," Pham said. "Whoever's name is called, they step in and battle. That's one thing we've been extremely proud of with our group. We try to emphasize to prepare every day like you might have that opportunity. Whoever's been put in the lineup, whether it's singles, doubles, or playing both, they've stepped up and taken the opportunity and run with it."
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Coming off a tough stretch for the team, Colorado is looking to use the home stand to create some momentum from now on. The Buffs will start with a tough opponent in No. 17 UCF on Friday and follow it up with Houston on Sunday.
"We're happy to be back home," head coach Anthony Pham said. "It doesn't get any easier for us; both UCF and Houston are good programs. We have to keep controlling what we can control. Our effort, our fight, and the way we battled the last handful of matches have been great. Now, we have to try to find ways to make a couple more plays. We will keep pushing forward and put ourselves in the best position."
The Buffs will look to use the two weeks back in Boulder to get back to their routines and find comfort as they continue in Big 12 Play.
"Anytime you are at home, it helps," Pham commented. "When they have their regular routine and comforts, it can make a difference. We are happy to be at home and playing in front of our own fans."
Starting on Friday at 2:00 p.m. at the CU South Tennis Courts, the Buffs will be across the net from the Knights for the first time in program history. The Knights are coming in as one of the hottest teams in the conference, currently the only team in the Big 12 without a conference loss at 14-1 and 6-0 in the Big 12. UCF has three ranked singles players, and one ranked double's pairing coming to Boulder.
The Buffs will return to the courts Sunday at 2:00 p.m. against Houston. Due to weather conditions, the location will be announced following the match on Friday. This will be the ninth meeting against the Cougars and only the third since 2000. Colorado holds a 4-3-1 record, with the first-ever meeting in 1979 a tie. This will be only the second matchup in Boulder; the Cougars won the initial meeting 5-4 in 1982.
"Every team we play in the Big 12 is good; UCF and Houston are no different," Pham said. "We approach every match the same. We've got to take care of what we take can care of. Whoever's playing across the net is going to be good. We have to take care of our side of the net, compete and battle, and continue to be in the right position."
On Colorado's side of the net, they have been dealing with injuries throughout conference play, which has given different players opportunities at different spots in the lineup. Last weekend, Anya Nelson and Betina Tokac both played different roles than they had previously this season. Nelson had been almost exclusively a doubles player this season but made her first conference singles appearance against TCU. She was leading in the third set when the match was clinched. Tokac, on the flip side, after playing mostly singles this season, made a doubles appearance with new partner Pia Rebec. With Rebec, they led 6-5 in doubles when the point was clinched, ending the match.
With new players in different spots, the team is still fighting against some of the best teams in the country, which is what Pham has emphasized.
"One thing with our group, they just continue to step up," Pham said. "Whoever's name is called, they step in and battle. That's one thing we've been extremely proud of with our group. We try to emphasize to prepare every day like you might have that opportunity. Whoever's been put in the lineup, whether it's singles, doubles, or playing both, they've stepped up and taken the opportunity and run with it."
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Players Mentioned
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