Buffs Comeback Attempt Falls Short At No. 73 BYU

PROVO, Utah – Colorado's comeback attempt falls short against No. 73 BYU, as the Buffaloes lose their fourth straight match 4-3 Thursday afternoon at the BYU Indoor Tennis Courts.

Colorado (6-5, 0-3 Big 12) is still searching for its first conference win of the season despite another strong effort against BYU (11-5, 1-2) in the longest match so far this season, which lasted four hours and five minutes with only four courts to use in singles play.

"I sound like a broken record, but I am extremely proud of the way we are competing and continuing to put ourselves in the right positions to have success," head coach Anthony Pham said. "Life is all about dealing with adversity, and we will continue to respond in a positive way. Saturday is a new day and a new opportunity, and we look forward to getting back out there and getting after it again."

The Buffs started strong in doubles, winning two matches after dropping the day's opening match. Lera Alexin and Mila Stanojevic improved to 7-0 as a pairing this season and 2-0 at No. 2 doubles. Anya Nelson and Rixt van der Werff scored the other doubles win, the first for the pair at No. 1 doubles. This was the sixth straight doubles point won for Colorado and the eighth total this season.

With only four courts available, singles were broken up into the first four spots and the final two spots in the lineup. The first four taking the court started slow and saw the only win come from Stanojevic at No. 1 singles.

After Stanojevic's doubles win, she moved to No. 12 all-time at CU with 61 career victories. After singles, she notched her 64^th, giving her 125 total wins at Colorado, needing just one more to crack the top 20.

As the last two matches took the court, the Buffs needed both, with BYU leading 3-2. The first to clinch a win was Pia Rebec at No. 5 singles. She finished her opponent in straight sets, setting up a winner-take-all match at No. 6 singles.

In the final match, Alexin was in the third set after a first set win. In the final set, she went down 4-1 early but battled back, winning the next two games. She made one final push but fell short to the Cougars 6-3.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Starting the afternoon in doubles, Grace Levelston and Elizabeth Tullis claimed the first win for BYU at No. 3 doubles. They took down Ema Bubalo and Rebec 6-1.

Keeping up their hot streak, Alexin and Stanojevic handled Chelsea Bluestein and Kendall Kovick at No. 2 doubles 6-4.

Needing one more win to clinch the doubles point, it came down to Anya Nelson and Rixt van der Werff at No. 1 doubles. After a close start to the match, Nelson and Van der Werff closed the match, winning 6-3 over Bobo Huang and Sue Yan Tan.

Betina Tokac moved back one position to No. 3 singles and took on Kovick. Early in the first set, Tokac kept it close but could not keep up, losing 6-3. In the second set, it was the opposite. A slow start doomed Tokac, as she could not come back, falling again 6-3.

After the Cougars tied the match 1-1, they took the lead with a straight-set victory at No. 2 singles from Huang over Van der Werff 6-1, 6-4.

Stanojevic tied the match 2-2 with a win at the top of the order. She started a little slow against Levelston in the first set but closed with a 6-4 first set win. In the second set, Stanojevic cruised to a 6-1 victory to give the Buffs a 2-1 lead.

During the last of the first four matches, Bubalo came back from a 5-2 deficit to force a first set tiebreaker but couldn't finish it off, losing 7-6 (3). In the second set, Bubalo fell down early and could not repeat her effort from the first set, losing 6-2.

After some warm-up time, Rebec retook the court, this time at No. 5 singles against Madison Smith. Rebec lost the opening two games and had to battle back to tie the first set 4-4. She then added the next two games to win the set 6-4. Rebec and Smith took turns winning games in the second set, but Rebec had the last laugh with another 6-4 victory to tie the match 3-3.

Alexin took on Yan Tan at No. 6 singles in the day's last match. She won the first set convincingly 6-2, and her momentum helped Rebec in her match on the court next to her as she was playing. Yan Tan took the momentum in the following set, winning 6-1, forcing a third set for the overall match. Alexin, after going down 4-1 early, won the next two games before losing 6-3.

UP NEXT
Colorado will stay on the road to take on Utah at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday at the George S. Eccles Tennis Center.

RESULTS
Colorado 3, No. 73 BYU 4
March 6, 2025
Provo, Utah (BYU Indoor Tennis Courts)

Doubles

Anya Nelson/Rixt van der Werff (CU) def. Bobo Huang/Sue Yan Tan (BYU) 6-3
Lera Alexin/Mila Stanojevic (CU) def. Chelsea Bluestein/Kendall Kovick (BYU) 6-4
Grace Levelston/Elizabeth Tullis (BYU) def. Ema Bubalo/Pia Rebec (CU) 6-1

Order of Finish: (3,2,1*)

Singles

Mila Stanojevic (CU) def. Grace Levelston (BYU) 6-4, 6-1
Bobo Huang (BYU) def. Rixt van der Werff (CU) 6-1, 6-4
Kendall Kovick (BYU) def. Betina Tokac (CU) 6-3, 6-3
Chelsea Bluestein (BYU) def. Ema Bubalo (CU) 7-6 (3), 6-2
Pia Rebec (CU) def. Madison Smith (BYU) 6-4, 6-4
Sue Yan Tan (BYU) def. Lera Alexin (CU) 2-6, 6-1, 6-3

Order of Finish: (3,2,1,4,5,6*)

NOTES
Mila Stanojevic recorded her 61st career doubles win at Colorado, the 12th most in school history. She recorded her 64th career win in singles, the 25th most in CU history. She has 125 total wins, both doubles and singles, ranking No. 21 in CU history.
As a doubles pair, Lera Alexin and Mila Stanojevic improved to 7-0.
Anya Nelson and Rixt van der Werff won their first match as a duo at No. 1 doubles.
Colorado has lost 11 third-set matches in the five losses this season and is 2-6 in tiebreakers.

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Team Stats

Players Mentioned

Lera Alexin

Ema Bubalo

Anya Nelson

Pia Rebec

Mila Stanojevic

Betina Tokac

Rixt van der Werff