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.”