Colorado’s tennis team wrapped up the regular season Saturday with a 4-1 home loss to No. 49 Utah.
CU dropped to 7-15 overall and 2-8 in the Pac-12 while Utah improved to 13-10 and 3-7. The match was moved indoors to The Meadows Swim and Tennis Club due to adverse weather conditions.
Nuria Ormeño Ruiz earned a 6-2, 7-6 (4) win at the No. 1 singles position. With the Buffs down 2-0, Ormeño Ruiz brought the team score to 2-1 with her win over Margo Pletcher..
“With Nuria, you always know what you’re going to get,” CU head coach Nicole Kenneally said. “And you’re going to get the feistiest, most competitive player out there, who’s going to play with all of her heart and do everything she can in every single point … You know a lot of times she’s going to be in a dogfight. As she’s gotten older, I think she’s gotten more comfortable stepping up and winning in those situations.”
Annabelle Andrinopoulos and Brigitte Beck picked up a 6-3 doubles win at the No. 2 position. Trailing 2-0, they won the next four games to pull ahead. The Buffs dropped close matches at No. 1 and No. 3 doubles, falling 7-5 and 7-6 (4), respectively, as the Utes took the doubles point.
Alex Aiello is CU’s lone senior and was playing her final home match of her career at No. 5 singles. She was one game away from going home with a win on Saturday, but the team match was clinched with her leading 6-3, 6-5, leaving her match unfinished.
“Alex has played anywhere from No. 2 through No. 5 in the singles lineup and throughout the doubles lineup and I’m just so proud of her,” Kenneally said. “She’s been playing with one arm (due to injury). But she’s made adjustments and has kept giving herself opportunities to get matches.”
CU will head to the Pac-12 Championships this coming week in Ojai, Calif.
Utah 4, Colorado 1
Singles competition
1. Ormeño Ruiz, Nuria (COLO) def. Pletcher, Margo (UTAH) 6-2, 7-6 (7-4)
2. Richter, Sarah (UTAH) def. Daniel, Jeannez (COLO) 6-1, 6-4
3. Turley, Brianna (UTAH) def. Andrinopoulos, Annabelle (COLO) 5-7, 7-5, 6-3
4. Cheng, Jena (UTAH) def. Wojcik, Kyra (COLO) 6-1, 6-7 (1-7), 6-1
5. Aiello, Alex (COLO) vs. Carlton, Taylor (UTAH) 6-3, 6-5, unfinished
6. Beck, Brigitte (COLO) vs. Petrovic, Alexia (UTAH) 2-6, 1-2, unfinished
Doubles competition
1. #81 Pletcher, Margo/Turley, Brianna (UTAH) def. Ormeño Ruiz, Nuria/Daniel, Jeannez (COLO) 7-5
2. Andrinopoulos, Annabelle/Beck, Brigitte (COLO) def. Richter, Sarah/Petrovic, Alexia (UTAH) 6-4
3. Carlton, Taylor/Gerstner Da Rosa, L. (UTAH) def. Aiello, Alex/Wojcik, Kyra (COLO) 7-6 (7-4)
