University of Colorado Athletics
Tennis Hosts In-State Rival Saturday
BOULDER - The University of Colorado women's tennis team will look for its third victory in a row on Saturday, Feb. 20 when they take on the No. 74th ranked Denver Pioneers at the Millennium Hotel Harvest House. First serve begins with the doubles competition at 10 a.m., followed by singles.
The Buffaloes (5-3) have moved up seven spots to No. 55 nationally in the latest Campbell's/Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) rankings, will attempt to break a two-game skid against their in-state rival.
CU is coming off back-to-back, 7-0 shutout victories over New Mexico and Oregon, played last weekend at Albuquerque.
The Pioneers (2-6) have lost three straight and six of their last seven matches.
Colorado returns home for the first time since Jan. 23 and begins a two-match home stand beginning with the Pioneers on Saturday, then Northern Colorado on March 6. The Buffs will play one more nonconference match on March 20 against South Carolina. The Big 12 season begins March 12 at Nebraska.
Saturday's match with the Pioneers features three nationally ranked singles players in the latest ITA rankings. DU senior Ute Schnoy is ranked No. 81, while CU boasts Melisa Esposito at No. 94, and Monica Milewski at No. 101. In doubles, Esposito and Camila Belassi are the lone doubles team in the top-75 coming in at No. 51.
MATCH NOTES
- CU leads the all-time series with Denver, 27-6, however the Pioneers and Buffaloes have split the last four matches against one another. DU has won two straight. Since 2001, CU holds a 5-4 edge in the series.
- CU has won the doubles point four times resulting in four team wins.
- In combined career singles and doubles victories, seniors Monica Milewski and Melisa Esposito hail in the top-five. Milewski has 80 singles and 71 doubles tallies, while Esposito has 73 and 69 triumphs, respectively. Senior Camila Belassi is 16th overall with 66 singles and 59 doubles wins.
- Monica Milewski is eighth overall on the school's all-time list with 80 singles wins; Melisa Esposito is t-14th (73); and Camila Belassi is 22nd (66).
- DU Head coach Jeremy Wurtzman is in his first season at Denver. Wurtzman helped the Ohio State men's team to a runner-up finish at the NCAA championships in 2009.
- DU is led by seniors Ute Schnoy (Altenstadt, Germany), who was named Sun Belt Conference Player of the Week on Feb. 3, and Julia Bauregger (Klagenfurt, Austria).
- Schnoy is 4-4 at No. 1 singles and has defeated two ranked opponents this season. Bauregger is 4-4 at No. 2 singles.
- In doubles, Milewski ranks second all-time (71), five from tying Franziska Jendrian (76); Esposito is tied for third overall (69); Belassi is seventh (58); and junior Abbie Probert ranks 23rd overall with 43 wins.
- On the season, a trio has reached double-digit singles wins: Milewski (15), Esposito (12), Belassi (11).
- Junior Abbie Probert and sophomore Michala Hedelund Jensen each have nine; Freshman Erin Sanders has eight.
- Belassi and Esposito lead the team in doubles tallies with 11; Milewski and Ania Anuszkiewicz have eight.
- Milewski and Anuszkiewicz have won four of five doubles matches, including three in a row; Belassi/Esposito have also won four of five.