Friday, September 11
Milwaukee, Wis.
Colorado
vs
Day 1
Buffs Off To Solid Start After First Day Of Fall Play
September 11, 2026 | Tennis
GLENDALE, Wis. – The Colorado Buffaloes tennis team's fall campaign began Friday with a full day of action for the four players competing in the first of three days of action at the Milwaukee Tennis Classic here at the Nicolet Tennis Center.
Lera Alexin, Ema Bubalo, Heidi Crncan and Louise Ternstroem each went 1-1 in singles play. Alexin and Bubalo teamed up to defeat an Illinois team in doubles while Crncan and Ternstroem fell in a close doubles match to a Wisconsin duo.
"Overall, we had some bright spots," CU coach Anthony Pham said. "It's early in the year, we want to keep building through the weekend."
HOW IT HAPPENED
Doubles play began at 9 a.m with Bubalo and Alexin representing the Buffs first. The returners defeated Ariel Madatali and Cara Mester from Illinois in a close 7-6 match.
Crncan and newcomer Ternstroem fought tough but fell 7-6 to Wisconsin's Karolina Jacobson and Gabriela Skrabalova.
Three of the four Buffs fell in their first singles matches of the day before rebounding to defeat their second opponent.
Bubalo fell to North Carolina's Anna Frey, Alexin fell in a third set tiebreaker to Purdue's Kathryn Wilson and Crncan lost to Illinois Ariel Madatali. Ternstroem was CU's lone victor in the early match, taking down San Francisco's Sienna Leeson in a third-set tiebreaker.
The second match for each was the complete opposite. Bubalo rebounded and beat Milwaukee's Natalia Castaneda Guerrero in a third set tiebreaker, Alexin also needed three sets to defeat Navy's Peyton Amspacher-Philemon and Crncan took down Kansas State's Diana Smolinska. Ternstroem fought tough with Purdue's Reese Frank, with each of the first two sets going the distance and the third set tiebreaker going to Frank.
UP NEXT
Colorado will continue Saturday for day two of the Milwaukee Tennis Classic, a busy day that's currently scheduled to see two doubles rounds and two singles rounds for each player.
"Tomorrow, the focus will be on the adjustments we talked with each of them about," Pham said. "In both singles and doubles. I'm not a fan of having four matches in a day, that's a lot, but we'll see how they respond."
RESULTS
Doubles
Lera Alexin/ Ema Bubalo (CU) def. Ariel Madatali/Cara Mester (Illinois) 7-6
Gabriela Skrabalova/Karolina Jacobson (Wisconsin) def. Heidi Crncan/Louise Ternstroem (CU) 6-7
Singles
Anna Frey (UNC) def. Ema Bubalo (CU) 6-3, 6-3
Louise Ternstroem (CU) def. Sienna Leeson (USF) 6-2, 3-6, 1-0
Kathryn Wilson (PU) def. Lera Alexin (CU) 6-1, 3-6, 1-0
Ariel Madatali (Illinois) def. Heidi Crncan (CU) 6-3, 6-0
Lera Alexin (CU) def. Peyton Amspacher-Philemon (Navy) 6-0, 4-6, 1-0
Heidi Crncan (CU) def. Diana Smolinska (KSU) 7-5, 6-2
Reese Frank (PU) def. Louise Ternstroem (CU) 7-6, 6-7, 1-0
Ema Bubalo (CU) def. Natalia Castaneda Guerrero (UWM) 2-6, 1-6, 1-0
Lera Alexin, Ema Bubalo, Heidi Crncan and Louise Ternstroem each went 1-1 in singles play. Alexin and Bubalo teamed up to defeat an Illinois team in doubles while Crncan and Ternstroem fell in a close doubles match to a Wisconsin duo.
"Overall, we had some bright spots," CU coach Anthony Pham said. "It's early in the year, we want to keep building through the weekend."
HOW IT HAPPENED
Doubles play began at 9 a.m with Bubalo and Alexin representing the Buffs first. The returners defeated Ariel Madatali and Cara Mester from Illinois in a close 7-6 match.
Crncan and newcomer Ternstroem fought tough but fell 7-6 to Wisconsin's Karolina Jacobson and Gabriela Skrabalova.
Three of the four Buffs fell in their first singles matches of the day before rebounding to defeat their second opponent.
Bubalo fell to North Carolina's Anna Frey, Alexin fell in a third set tiebreaker to Purdue's Kathryn Wilson and Crncan lost to Illinois Ariel Madatali. Ternstroem was CU's lone victor in the early match, taking down San Francisco's Sienna Leeson in a third-set tiebreaker.
The second match for each was the complete opposite. Bubalo rebounded and beat Milwaukee's Natalia Castaneda Guerrero in a third set tiebreaker, Alexin also needed three sets to defeat Navy's Peyton Amspacher-Philemon and Crncan took down Kansas State's Diana Smolinska. Ternstroem fought tough with Purdue's Reese Frank, with each of the first two sets going the distance and the third set tiebreaker going to Frank.
UP NEXT
Colorado will continue Saturday for day two of the Milwaukee Tennis Classic, a busy day that's currently scheduled to see two doubles rounds and two singles rounds for each player.
"Tomorrow, the focus will be on the adjustments we talked with each of them about," Pham said. "In both singles and doubles. I'm not a fan of having four matches in a day, that's a lot, but we'll see how they respond."
RESULTS
Doubles
Lera Alexin/ Ema Bubalo (CU) def. Ariel Madatali/Cara Mester (Illinois) 7-6
Gabriela Skrabalova/Karolina Jacobson (Wisconsin) def. Heidi Crncan/Louise Ternstroem (CU) 6-7
Singles
Anna Frey (UNC) def. Ema Bubalo (CU) 6-3, 6-3
Louise Ternstroem (CU) def. Sienna Leeson (USF) 6-2, 3-6, 1-0
Kathryn Wilson (PU) def. Lera Alexin (CU) 6-1, 3-6, 1-0
Ariel Madatali (Illinois) def. Heidi Crncan (CU) 6-3, 6-0
Lera Alexin (CU) def. Peyton Amspacher-Philemon (Navy) 6-0, 4-6, 1-0
Heidi Crncan (CU) def. Diana Smolinska (KSU) 7-5, 6-2
Reese Frank (PU) def. Louise Ternstroem (CU) 7-6, 6-7, 1-0
Ema Bubalo (CU) def. Natalia Castaneda Guerrero (UWM) 2-6, 1-6, 1-0
Players Mentioned
Friday, January 16
Sunday, April 13
Monday, April 15
Saturday, April 13
