Two Cowgirls took championship wins in singles play at the Air Force Fall Invitational in Colorado Springs, Colo. last weekend.
“The team fought really hard this weekend, which gave us chances to win on every line,” Cowgirls head coach Dean Clower told gowyo.com. “Congratulations to Dorottya and Magdalena in their hard fought championship victories. It was a good weekend overall for Cowgirl tennis but we still have a lot of work to do.”
Opening the tournament on Friday, the Cowgirls won all six of their singles matches and came away with one win in doubles play.
Redshirt freshman Magdalena Stencel (6-2, 7-6 (2)), sophomore Dorottya Jonas (6-0, 6-2), junior Nastya Tokareva (6-7, 2-1 (ret.)), senior Christa Gecheva (6-1, 6-3), senior Silviya Zhelyazkova (7-5, 6-3) and freshmanCecilia Mercier (6-4, 2-6, 6-2) all took points for Wyoming in the opening singles matches over players from Air Force, Arkansas State, Colorado State, Marquette and Utah State.
In doubles, the Cowgirls still came out of the gates with one win. Zhelyazkova and Tokareva took an 8-6 win over Northern Colorado duo sophomoreMarissa Baca and senior Chrissie Hoolahan.
Both Cowgirls doubles Jonas and Mercier and Gecheva and Stencel took a loss in doubles
Day two of the tournament began in doubles. Zhelyazkova and Tokareva opened in the semifinals round against Miami, Ohio’s sophomore Andreea Badileanu and senior Ramona Costea 8-3, knocking them out of the finals running.
In consolation rounds of doubles, Jonas and Mercier took a loss to Marquette’s junior Erin Gebes and freshman Paula Tormos, 8-6, while Gecheva and Stencel defeated their Marquette opponents. Gecheva and Stencel won their doubles match 8-1.
“We played very well today through the entire line-up,” said coach Clower. “We competed about as hard as a team can and came out on top of most of the matches.”
Cowgirls Stencel (6-3, 4-6, 7-6), Jonas (7-5, 6-7, 6-4) and Tokareva (2-6, 6-1, 6-3) all took their singles matches in a set of three. Both Mercier (6-2, 6-2) andZhelyazkova (7-5, 6-4) took straight set wins. All five of the Cowgirls advanced to the finals.
Gecheva took a loss to a Miami, Ohio opponent 3-6, 6-7 ending her winning singles run for the tournament.
“We definitely took strides forward in playing out style of tennis,” said coach Clower. “I’m especially pleased with the play of Magdalena (Stencel) who showed a lot of character and gutted out a marathon match.”
In the final day of the tournament the Cowgirls Stencel and Jonas reigned victorious. Both in a set of three, Stencel beat Colorado State’s senior Natalie Heffron 4-6, 6-4, 7-5 followed by Jonas’ 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 victory over sophomore Julie Gauguery of Arkansas State.
Tokareva, Mercier and Zhelyazkova all fell in their final rounds.
Closing out the tournament in doubles Wyoming went 1-2 in the final day. Jonas and Mercierearned the only doubles point of the day for Wyoming with an 8-3 win over Northern Colorado’s Hoolahan and junior Hilary Walters-West.
This weekend the Cowgirls will take part in the ITA Mountain Regional tournament in Albuquerque, N.M.
