From falling short due to call infractions to struggling in singles play, the Buffs found two very different ways to lose against the No. 54 Iowa State Cyclones and No. 42 Kansas Jayhawks this weekend.
On Friday against the Cyclones, Colorado clinched the doubles point and two out of the first five singles matches. Rixt van der Werff dropped the first set of her No. 4 singles match before finding her groove and dominating the next two sets, 6-2, 6-1. At the No. 2 singles spot, Aya El Sayed split the first two sets, playing seven games both times. The last set looked like a different match, however, as she cruised through to win 6-1.
Tied at 3-3 the meet came down to Betina Tokac. Despite every point being competitive, she found herself down 5-1 in the first set of the No. 3 singles match. She then received her first penalization for being overruled by the official on a line call. That didn’t stop Tokac from staging a comeback to win the set in a tiebreaker.
The second set was as back-and-forth as the first. Tokac found herself tied 5-5 when she received her second penalty for having a call overturned by an official. Down 6-5, she received her third penalization during that game. The penalty would cost her the game and therefore the set, 7-5. Most of the third set was smooth sailing until Tokac called a serve out while up 4-3. The official overturned that call, meaning Tokac had suffered a fourth penalty, which resulted in a “default” of her match.
This incident cost CU the match, 4-3. The officials refused to comment about it post-game but were following a rule implemented by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association this season, stating that four infractions will result in a “default” of the match.
The team only got a day of rest before taking on the Jayhawks on Sunday. Colorado was without No. 1 doubles and No. 2 singles player El Sayed for this contest. This caused a lot of movement in the lineup, yet CU still found a way to win the doubles point.
Things got complicated for the Buffs in singles play. With most of the team playing in a new spot, only No. 1 singles player Mila Stanojevic gathered a win. Every match felt as if it could fall either way though, with Tokac and Pia Rebec going into three sets, Lera Alexin playing to seven both times, and both Van der Werff and Ema Bubalo fighting through a lot of long points.
Stanojevic and Alexin are still undefeated in doubles play. Stanojevic recorded her 123rd total win, placing her at 21st in CU history.
The team will now prepare for a four-game road trip, stopping in Utah first to take on the BYU Cougars on Thursday and the Utah Utes on Saturday.
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