The Men’s and Women’s Tennis teams look to bounce back after tough competition in their recent set of matches. The Colorado Mesa University (CMU) women’s tennis team faced a tough stretch over the last two weekends, falling in back-to-back matches against Rockhurst and NCAA Division I Utah Tech.
On Saturday, Feb 22, the Mavericks lost 4-0 to Rockhurst at the Ernest Grundy Tennis Center. Despite a doubles win from freshman Catalina Ballon Marin and junior Jane Steur at the No. 3 spot, CMU lost the other two doubles matches by 6-1 scores.
“I think we had a good start […] but we definitely learned and it’s always good playing better players,” said junior Delia Maier.
The following Friday, CMU suffered a 7-0 defeat at Utah Tech in St. George. The Mavericks fought hard against their Division I opponent but were unable to secure a point. The Trailblazers swept all three doubles matches before winning four singles contests in straight sets.
However, juniors Jade Brilhante and Steur pushed their matches to three sets. Brilhante took the second set at No. 4 singles before falling 6-1, 2-6, 6-2, while Steur won the opening set at No. 6 singles before losing 3-6, 6-2, 6-4.
Head Coach Dan MacDonald views these Division I matchups with optimism, emphasizing the valuable experience they provide.
“They’re tough competition, but you basically have nothing to lose,” said MacDonald. “As a player myself, I liked playing against Division I opponents […] but I saw it as a learning experience.”
Now 6-7, the team will look to bounce back as they head to California for a Spring Break stretch, facing seven Pacific West Conference opponents from March 15-20.
“It is a lot of tennis, but they’re young and conditioned […] they’re ready to go,” said MacDonald.
The CMU men’s tennis team fell 4-1 to Rockhurst University in a neutral-site matchup on Saturday, February 22. Despite the loss, freshman Romain Payan secured a hard-fought victory at No. 3 singles to give the Mavericks a bright spot in the contest.
The Hawks swept all three doubles matches with scores of 6-3, 6-4, and 6-4 to claim the doubles point before taking three straight singles matches to clinch the dual. Payan’s win came after a hard-fought battle, as he edged out an 8-6 tiebreaker in the first set before closing it out 6-4 in the second.
Two other singles matches went unfinished, with CMU junior’s Emil Hultman leading his second set at No. 5 singles and Diogo Manzano winning his first-set tiebreaker at No. 6.
The Mavs sat at 6-5, taking a break before hosting their first home matches of the season against Hawai’i Hilo on March 9.
“We’ve got to bring our game every time to beat these Pacific West teams, because it’s high level,” said junior Emil Hultman.
Unfortunately, the Mavericks’ first home matchup of the year was another loss, falling 3-4 to Hawai’i. The loss dropped the Mavs to .500, with a record of 6-6.
The Mavs won two of their three doubles, 7-6 and 6-2, claiming their doubles point. However, the damage was done in the singles competition. Out of the six matchups, only two went in the favor of the Mavericks. Hultman and Monzano each picked up 6-2 victories over their opponents, but the remaining matches fell in favor of Hawai’i.
The Mavs were set to continue play versus Hawai’i later that day in double-header action. This time, the Mavs were able to rally and pull together the 4-2 victory.
The Mavs won the No. 2 and No. 3 doubles matches, with Scheck and Leschig fighting back for a 7-6 (7-5) victory at No. 2. CMU was down 5-4 and 6-5, but broke the Vulcans’ serve both times to force the tiebreaker and win the crucial doubles point.
Hultman claimed a 6-4, 6-2 victory in his matchup, his 10th singles win of the season, and Diogo Manzano won his 6-3, 6-2 at No. 6. Payan and Pfingston won 6-2 at No. 3.
After the split, the Mavericks improved to 7-6 and head into a busy spring break schedule. The Mavs will play six PacWest games in six days, not returning home for play until early April against Metropolitan State University of Denver.
Both teams will look to capitalize on their opportunities as they push through a challenging but promising stretch of competition in California, closing out their road trip with a match again