Friday, October 16
Provo, Utah
Colorado
vs
Day 4
Alexin, Bubalo Punch Ticket For Mountain Region Doubles Final
October 16, 2026 | Tennis
PROVO, Utah - Following a competitive day on the courts at BYU, the Colorado Buffaloes tennis team continued to find success in doubles competition Friday, sending Lera Alexin and Ema Bubalo to the finals to highlight the fourth day of the ITA Mountain Regional Championships.
Alexin and Bubalo battled through the rounds of 32 and 16 Thursday, then opened Friday's competition with a competitive tiebreaker victory in the quarterfinals. The second-seed Buffs then faced the a host BYU duo in the semifinals, Â dominating the court and securing a semifinal win 6-2 to advance to the finals.
"Ema and Lera did another really good job of trusting themselves and playing to their strengths during the big moments today in both matches," CU Head Coach Anthony Pham said. "We are looking forward to putting our best forward and competing hard like we always do."
Colorado's other doubles team of Pia Rebec and  Louise Ternstroem along with Heidi Crncan in singles remained relentless throughout the day, utilizing opportunities but eventually coming up short Friday.Â
HOW IT HAPPENED
To open Friday's singles slate, second-year Buff Heidi Crncan faced Utah's Sara Akid, the top singles seed who went undefeated at home last season. Battling against one of the mountain region's leading competitors, Crncan continued to persist throughout both sets before falling in two, leaving each 6-1, bringing Colorado's singles run to a close.
As the day progressed, Alexin and Bubalo took on Wyoming's Silver Bijlsma and Anastasiia Kochelaevskaia to open quarterfinal doubles play. With both teams battling for an advantage through the pro set, the Buffs duo remained consistent, forcing a tiebreaker with a spot in the semifinals on the line. The Colorado duo rose to the occasion, staying focused in important moments and taking control of the match to claim an 8-7(3) victory and extend their regionals run.
Colorado's success in doubles competition extended to another quarterfinal appearance, with Rebec and Ternstroem taking on BYU's Cara Korhonen and Sue Yan Tan. The Buffs faced a competitive challenge from the home team before ultimately falling 8-2 to conclude their doubles run.
Advancing into the semifinals, Lera and Alexin faced off against the Cougars team that had defeated the Buffs in the earlier round. In search of team redemption, Colorado dominated play, securing an impressive 6-4, 6-2 win and a spot in the finals Saturday.
UP NEXT
Alexin and Bubalo will compete Saturday not only for a regional championship, but for an automatic bid to the NCAA Individual Championships. Â The duo will face off against either the top seeded Hudson Hawkins and Nicole Mircheva from UNLV or Whitney Moon and Nadia Nemeth from New Mexico State in the championship match.Â
RESULTS
Doubles Quarterfinals
Lera Alexin/Ema Bubalo (CU) def. Silver Bijlsma/Anastasiia Kochelaevskaia (UW) 8-7(3)
Cara Korhonen/Sue Yan Tan (BYU) def. Pia Rebec/Louise Ternstroem (CU) Â 8-2
Doubles Semifinals
Lera Alexin/Ema Bubalo (CU) Â def. Cara Korhonen/Sue Yan Tan (BYU) 6-4, 6-2
Singles Round of 16
Sara Akid (Utah) def. Heidi Crncan (CU) 6-1, 6-1
Singles Extra Matches
Lucie Vagnerova (Nevada) def. Yukiko Ikedo (CU) 6-2, 6-3
Â
Alexin and Bubalo battled through the rounds of 32 and 16 Thursday, then opened Friday's competition with a competitive tiebreaker victory in the quarterfinals. The second-seed Buffs then faced the a host BYU duo in the semifinals, Â dominating the court and securing a semifinal win 6-2 to advance to the finals.
"Ema and Lera did another really good job of trusting themselves and playing to their strengths during the big moments today in both matches," CU Head Coach Anthony Pham said. "We are looking forward to putting our best forward and competing hard like we always do."
Colorado's other doubles team of Pia Rebec and  Louise Ternstroem along with Heidi Crncan in singles remained relentless throughout the day, utilizing opportunities but eventually coming up short Friday.Â
HOW IT HAPPENED
To open Friday's singles slate, second-year Buff Heidi Crncan faced Utah's Sara Akid, the top singles seed who went undefeated at home last season. Battling against one of the mountain region's leading competitors, Crncan continued to persist throughout both sets before falling in two, leaving each 6-1, bringing Colorado's singles run to a close.
As the day progressed, Alexin and Bubalo took on Wyoming's Silver Bijlsma and Anastasiia Kochelaevskaia to open quarterfinal doubles play. With both teams battling for an advantage through the pro set, the Buffs duo remained consistent, forcing a tiebreaker with a spot in the semifinals on the line. The Colorado duo rose to the occasion, staying focused in important moments and taking control of the match to claim an 8-7(3) victory and extend their regionals run.
Colorado's success in doubles competition extended to another quarterfinal appearance, with Rebec and Ternstroem taking on BYU's Cara Korhonen and Sue Yan Tan. The Buffs faced a competitive challenge from the home team before ultimately falling 8-2 to conclude their doubles run.
Advancing into the semifinals, Lera and Alexin faced off against the Cougars team that had defeated the Buffs in the earlier round. In search of team redemption, Colorado dominated play, securing an impressive 6-4, 6-2 win and a spot in the finals Saturday.
UP NEXT
Alexin and Bubalo will compete Saturday not only for a regional championship, but for an automatic bid to the NCAA Individual Championships. Â The duo will face off against either the top seeded Hudson Hawkins and Nicole Mircheva from UNLV or Whitney Moon and Nadia Nemeth from New Mexico State in the championship match.Â
RESULTS
Doubles Quarterfinals
Lera Alexin/Ema Bubalo (CU) def. Silver Bijlsma/Anastasiia Kochelaevskaia (UW) 8-7(3)
Cara Korhonen/Sue Yan Tan (BYU) def. Pia Rebec/Louise Ternstroem (CU) Â 8-2
Doubles Semifinals
Lera Alexin/Ema Bubalo (CU) Â def. Cara Korhonen/Sue Yan Tan (BYU) 6-4, 6-2
Singles Round of 16
Sara Akid (Utah) def. Heidi Crncan (CU) 6-1, 6-1
Singles Extra Matches
Lucie Vagnerova (Nevada) def. Yukiko Ikedo (CU) 6-2, 6-3
Â
Players Mentioned
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