Colorado
.png&width=60&height=60&type=webp)
Kansas
Women's Tennis Squeaks by No. 11 Seed KU, 4-2
April 28, 2005 | Tennis
BOULDER ? With her team-best 19th singles victory, freshmen Veera Nurmi helped keep the University of Colorado women's tennis team's season alive another day rallying from a set down lifting No. 6 seed Buffaloes to a 4-2 win over No. 11 seed Kansas in the first round of the Big 12 Tournament hosted by the University of Texas.
Nurmi, a freshman from Lahti, Finland, won perhaps the biggest match of her young collegiate career rallying from a first set loss of 6-3 to fight back strong winning the next two 6-4 and 6-0 for her fourth win in her last five. CU (11-11), winners of four of its last five matches moves on the conference quarterfinals to play No. 3 seed and No. 31 nationally ranked Nebraska (18-2) Friday at 5 p.m. Last Sunday, the Cornhuskers defeated CU, 4-3 at the South Campus Courts in the regular season finale for both schools. The Big 12 Tournament for both the men's and women's teams can be viewed on the conference web site http://big12sports.collegesports.com/championships/big12-tennis-championship.html. The Buffs have won the last five in a row over KU and eight of its last 10. "We knew it would be a close match," said CU head coach Nicole Kenneally. "Kansas came out and played great. The team worked hard today and it paid off with a win.” The Buffaloes started the day taking the doubles point led by its No. 57 nationally ranked doubles team of Kendra Strandemo and Jessica Vanderdys, 8-5. Lynzee Kever and Martina Sedivec followed suit at No. 2 taking an 8-4 winner for a 1-0 lead on the scoreboard. It was Strandemo/Vanderdys' 14th win of the year, while Kever/Sedivec recorded their fourth. The Jayhawks (4-17), who lost their eighth straight match, fought back taking the No. 1 and No. 5 singles matches in straight sets for a 2-1 lead. Strandemo would even the team score at two taking the No. 2 slot in straight sets (6-2, 6-4) for her 71st career singles victory, while Jessica Vanderdys put the Buffaloes ahead 3-2 securing the No. 3 singles position, 7-5, 6-2. Strandemo and Vanderdys won their 17th and 16th matches of the year. Since 2000, the CU women are 5-1 in the opening round of the Big 12 Tournament and in the nine-year history of the conference tournament the women have reached the final once (1998). They lost to top-seeded Texas after entering the tourney as the No. 3 seed. No. 62 Colorado 4, Kansas 2 CU (11-11), KU (4-17) April 28, University of Texas, Penick-Alison Tennis Center Big 12 Tournament First Round Doubles (CU won two of three points) 1) (57) Strandemo/Vanderdys (CU) def. Skoda/Avdeeva 8-5 2) Kever/Sedivec (CU) def. Filberth/Brown 8-4 3) Torres Torres/Jenny Hanson (CU) vs. Smith/Hommell (KU) - did not finish Singles 1) Elizaveta Avdeeva (KU) def. Lynzee Kever 6-4, 6-2 2) Kendra Strandemo (CU) def. Christine Skoda 6-2, 6-4 3) Jessica Vanderdys (CU) def. Brittany Brown 7-5, 6-2 4) Veera Nurmi (CU) def. Ashley Filberth (KU) 3-6, 6-4, 6-0 5) Lauren Hommell (KU) def. Martina Sedivec 6-3, 6-2 6) Gleisy Torres Torres (CU) vs. Stephanie Smith (KU) ? did not finish
Players Mentioned
