Tennis Recap and Tournament Preview
After a two-week hiatus from tournament play, the CSU women’s
tennis team looks to continue its tournament success this weekend
at the Drake Invitational in Des Moines, Iowa. The team’s main
focus of the fall season has been to establish the troublesome
doubles pairings and bring some consistency into the
off-season.
“We’ve moved around the players all season to get a feel for
what we’ll be able to do this spring,” said head coach Jon Messick.
“This fall has been a great opportunity to see what we can expect
to do this spring.”
Junior Dasha Zhurin summed up the fall season saying: “We have
been doing a lot of positive things that should give us an edge
heading into the spring. Our team has been working really hard in
every aspect of the game and the off-season conditioning has played
a big role in our success.”
The team has only two tournaments remaining for the fall season,
finishing in Salt Lake City, Utah, where the Rams compete in the
ITA regional tournament later this month. This fall the Rams’
strength has been their singles play, led by freshman Emily
Kirchem, (4-1) and juniors Jasmin Singh (4-1) and Tatyana Ugorich
(3-2).
“The singles players have done exceptionally well this season
and have matched up nicely with some serious competition, I think
the girls will be very well prepared for the regional tournament,”
Messick said.
The Rams’ singles players have compiled a solid 20-15 record on
the year, while their doubles pairings are 5-11.
“I think this is a strong team,” Kirchem said. “We have a deep,
talented lineup and have been improving consistently all season, if
we can stay healthy and improve on some things, I think this team
has a great shot at winning the conference title.”
This weekend team will have to adjust to the indoor courts at
the Drake Invitational, which is a change from what the team has
seen throughout the fall season.
“It’s an adjustment, but it shouldn’t affect our play too much,”
Kirchem said. “We should do fine.”
With the fall season ending next weekend, the Rams will prepare
over the off-season for their first spring match on Jan. 30 against
the Nebraska Cornhuskers in Lincoln, Neb. The team plays its first
home match Feb. 13 against another Big 12 opponent: Texas Tech.
“I expect big things from this group of girls,” Messick said.
“We’ve been sizing up the competition this fall and these girls
have proven that they can play with the best of them. It should be
an exciting year.”
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