The Colorado Buffaloes women’s tennis team secured their third consecutive home victory, defeating Miami Ohio 6-1 on Friday night at the Meadows Club in Boulder.
Head coach Anthony Pham commented on the team’s performance, stating, “Did we play our best? No, but that think a lot had to do with Miami. They got a lot of credit to them. They played very well and pushed us in a lot of the courts. That will pay dividends, it’s only going to help.” He added, “They definitely put us in some uncomfortable situations and moments on a lot of courts. And that’s going to continue to happen throughout the season, especially when we get into Big 12 play.”
The Buffs began the evening by clinching the doubles point with wins at the top two positions. Pia Rebec and Aya El Sayed earned a quick win at No. 2 doubles, while Anya Nelson and Ema Bubalo secured their 34th career victory as a pair—ranking them fifth all-time for doubles wins in program history.
Reflecting on her return to doubles play with El Sayed after nearly a year apart, Rebec said, “It’s been almost a year since I played with Aya, it was amazing. She was amazing. The atmosphere was very good. It’s always good to see everyone happy and enjoying what they do.”
In singles action, Colorado recorded victories on five out of six courts. Rebec and Lera Alexin posted straight-set wins at No. 3 and No. 4 singles respectively; both athletes remain undefeated (4-0) this season at their positions.
Rebec described her approach during her match: “I felt a bit uncomfortable during the match, but I listened to my coach,” she said. “He told me to just stay focused, put the balls in, and stay strong. And that’s exactly what I did, and it got me through the match.”
At No. 1 singles, Rixt van der Werff overcame losing the second set before dominating in the third for her fourth consecutive singles win since late October.
Freshman Lani Brotman recovered from dropping her first set in a tiebreaker by winning back-to-back sets for another point for Colorado.
Nelson closed out singles play with a two-set win over Maria Komar.
Coach Pham looked ahead to upcoming competition: “Every time we play Denver, I feel like it’s a battle,” he said. “We’ll rest up, get a good day of practice tomorrow and just be ready to battle Sunday.”
Colorado will face Denver Pioneers next Sunday at Denver Tennis Park.
This contest marked Colorado’s first meeting against Miami Ohio in women’s tennis competition.
Nelson and Bubalo’s achievement places them among Colorado’s most successful doubles teams.
Van der Werff extended her winning streak while Rebec and Alexin maintained perfect records at their respective spots.
