Every year since Nicole Kenneally took over the Colorado tennis program, the Buffs have gone into the Big 12 Conference tournament needing to make a splash to qualify for the NCAA tournament.

Although that's likely not the case this spring, the head coach said there's no less of a sense of urgency for her squad.

The Buffs earned a first-round bye in the Big 12 tourney as one of the conference's top four seeds and will begin quarterfinal play in Kansas City on Friday against the winner of today's Oklahoma State-Iowa State dual.

When the Buffs made the NCAA tournament in 2003, they did so after making it to the Big 12 semifinals as the eighth seed in the tournament. But with a 16-6 record and quality wins over teams like Baylor and William & Mary, the 35th-ranked Buffs have most likely already secured a spot in the 64-team NCAA field.

"Maybe that pressure's off, but it's kind of one of those things where you want to take one day at a time and worry about the match in front of you and not think about the finish line," Kenneally said by telephone from Kansas City on Wednesday. "I think the girls know our match on Friday is going to be a tough one and we have to come out and play the way we've been playing."

For one thing, the Buffs have the chance to win their first-ever Big 12 title to help keep them motivated. CU has made it to the semifinals twice in Kenneally's eight-year tenure. Their best showing ever at the tournament was a runner-up finish in 1998, the second year of the conference.

The Buffs will probably have to ward off some revenge attempts to get to the Sunday's championship match. Oklahoma State, the fifth seed, fell 4-3 to CU earlier this season. Should the Buffs win their first dual, top-seeded Baylor is the likely opponent in the semifinals. CU handed Baylor its only Big 12 loss this season, 5-2 on March 4.

The only two teams to beat the Buffs in Big 12 action this season — Texas and Texas A&M — are on the other side of the bracket as the No. 2 and 3 seeds, respectively.

Then ranked No. 20, the Buffs fell to the Texas schools by a combined score of 13-1 on a midseason road trip that also included a loss to highly-ranked Fresno State. But the Buffs have won six duals in a row since then.

"I think that road trip helped us just because it kind of re-centered us on what we needed to do," Kenneally said. "I think it was one of those things where it seems like the worst thing that could happen but turns out to be the best."

Although Kenneally said several players on her team are battling nagging injuries, the Buffs will have the full lineup that's played 75 percent of their matches this season intact.

That group is led by No. 1 singles player Monica Milewski, who at No. 36 in the country also has a good chance of making the individual NCAA tournament when the pairings are announced next week.

Still, the Buffs know there are no guarantees and that earning the first-round bye won't mean a thing when the matches start Friday.

"Having the bye is good," Kenneally said. "But in that second round every match is going to be tough. So you kind of say, 'OK, let's go.'"

Track team splitting up

The CU track team will split up to hit a pair of meets this weekend as the season winds toward the Big 12 Championships in two weeks.

Most of the team will compete at the Wyoming Invitational in Laramie on Saturday, while the top distance runners will be in action on Sunday at the Cardinal Invitational in Palo Alto, Calif.

Volleyball, soccer wrap up spring slates

The CU soccer and volleyball teams closed out their spring exhibition seasons over the weekend.

Coach Bill Hempen's soccer squad finished the spring with a record of 2-2-2 after a 3-0 loss to Nebraska in North Platte on Saturday.

While Hempen said freshman sensation Nikki Marshall continued to develop in the spring, he was also impressed with Michelle Wenino, who was charged with anchoring the center of the defense after Laura Munnelly held that role the last four years.

The volleyball team, meanwhile, beat New Mexico and lost to the U.S. national team at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs over the weekend to finish the spring 6-5. Three of those losses came against the national team.

Heavy hitter Amber Sutherland missed the spring after having shoulder surgery but is expected to be ready for the fall. But coach Pi'i Aiu said Sutherland's and a couple of other injured players' absences gave the Buffs a chance to build their depth.

Aiu pointed specifically toward the play of libero Ashley VenHorst and middle blocker Rosie Steinhaus, who graduated high school a semester early to join the Buffs this spring.

"I think we got our kids who needed reps a lot of reps, and I think we'll be better for it depth-wise when the fall rolls around," Aiu said.