Friday, October 23
Denver, Colo.
Colorado
vs
Day 1
October 23, 2026 | Tennis
DENVER - To conclude the first day of Colorado Cup play, the Colorado Buffaloes tennis team brought home dominant singles victories against Montana State, securing four individual wins on Friday at the University of Denver's, Denver Tennis Park.
With play beginning at 9 a.m. the Buffs doubles teams put on a competitive performance. Out of the gate, Pia Rebec and Louise Ternstroem took the Bobcats to 6-4, battling through lengthy rallies before they and fellow Colorado duo Willow Gretsch and Heidi Crncan ultimately fell short.
However, things turned around for the Buffs quickly entering singles play. Rebec, making her first singles appearance since March, promptly swept her MSU opponent in straight sets, 6-0, 6-0, without dropping a single game.Â
Crncan and Ternstroem instantly followed, each taking two more straight sets from the Bobcats.
Gretsch continued to battle through a closely contested matchup before narrowly falling. Rounding out singles competition, Yukiko Ikedo added Colorado's fourth victory of the day, fighting through three competitive sets to close out a strong opening day for the Buffs.
"We played the way we expected them to play, with energy and purpose," head coach Anthony Pham said. "Happy for Pia. This is her first singles match in six months, so that's a good match for her."
HOW IT HAPPENEDÂ
As warm-ups concluded the Colorado Cup fell underway, with four teams occupying all seven courts at the Denver Tennis Center for an early morning first match.Â
On the fifth court, Crncan and Gretsch met Montana State's Lola House and Terezie Stverakova.
After falling in game one, the Buffs looked to minimize errors, finding their rhythm and delivering big shots to alternate through the next games.Â
Battling neck-and-neck while maintaining intensity, Colorado was unable to finish opportunities in hard-fought rallies, ultimately falling 6-1.
A court over, Rebec and Ternstroem faced Bobcat sisters Lola and Angel Bean. Ternstroem, the Colorado first year, secured an early lead for the duo, dominating serve receive.
As play continued, Ternstroem maintained an aggressive presence at the net, while Rebec secured the baseline, remaining competitive through extended rallies, though trailing through the first few games.Â
The Colorado duo continued to challenge the Montana sisters, battling through play and keeping each game close. The duo remained resilient, securing important points in intense moments and keeping the pressure on the MSU team.
Coming back from a 5-1 divide, carefully placed shots and maintained energy by the Buffs silenced the Bobcat energy, closing the gap to 5-4.Â
As play on the remaining courts came to an end, both teams rallied around the matchup, cheering on their teammates through a demanding deciding game.Â
With an aggressive shot towards the right line, Montana State narrowly secured the win, leaving the Buffs to look towards the afternoons singles competition.Â
Ikedo also teamed with CSU's Leyla Tozin to face off against Ellie Middleton and Mia Tombari from MSU, and came away with a 6-1 victory.Â
Following the break, playing in the second half of the singles bracket, the Buffs showcased strong energy from the start. Facing the Bobcats for all five singles matches, Colorado was met with many familiar faces from the earlier contests.
Rebec faced Lola Bean, maintaining strategic shots and taking full control of the match, not allowing a singular game from the Canada native and sweeping the match in two 6-0 straight sets. With momentum up,Â
Crncan acted in similar fashion just next door, facing half of the duo she met at the start of the day. Stverakova fought through set one, equalizing the score through the first two games before Colorado ultimately left the Bobcat at a halt, securing the first set 6-3.
With an early advantage, the second-year Buff maintained control. Tallying multiple hard fought points, with big serves allowing full roam of the court, Crncan continued to find success, carrying the match to another 6-3 straight set close.
With two wins under their belt already, Ternstroem was in search of a third. Up quickly in the first set, leading 3-0, she continued to pressure Montana's Angel Bean, the oldest of the Bobcats Bean sisters, with challenging serves and a significant hustle.
Taking an early 5-1 lead, the Colorado first-year closed out the opening set 6-3. Ternstroem followed with another 6-3 set, matching Crncan's result to give the Buffs their third straight singles victory of the day and clinch the win over Montana State.
With two matches left in the day one competition slate, Gretsch faced off against House for two high-intensity sets. Sustaining high energy from start to finish, the two traded throughout the first game before the Bobcat broke open and took set one. Gretsch continued to battle through the second set, keeping the pressure on before dropping the match 6-3, 6-3. Â
To close play, Ikedo took on Naomi Jin, jumping ahead 5-1 in the opening set. With an emphasis on shot placement, the Japan native sent Jin scrambling from the baseline toward the net, taking the first set 6-3.Â
Jin responded with a 6-4 second set, forcing a deciding third. With the score at 4-3 in Colorado's favor, Ikedo held her advantage through the closing games, finishing with a 6-4 result to earn the Buffs' fourth singles win of the day.
UP NEXT
The Buffs will resume their Colorado Cup stint Saturday, facing hosting opponent Denver for two additional doubles matches and five singles matches. Play will begin at 9 a.m. MT and updates will be available on cubuffs.com and @cubuffstennis on Instagram.
"Every day is an opportunity and tomorrow hopefully we can learn from some of the things that we didn't do well today and make those adjustments tomorrow," Pham said.Â
RESULTS
Doubles
Lola House/Terezie Stverakova (MSU) def. Heidi Crncan/Willow Gretsch (CU) 6-1
Angel Bean/Lola Bean (MSU) def. Pia Rebec/Louise Ternstroem (CU) 6-4
Yukiko Ikedo (CU)/Leyla Tozin (CSU) def. Ellie Middleton/Mia Tombari (MSU) Â 6-1
Singles
Pia Rebec (CU) def. Lola Bean (MSU) 6-0, 6-0
Heidi Crncan (CU) def. Terezie Stverakova (MSU) 6-3, 6-3
Lola House (MSU) def. Willow Gretsch (CU) 6-3, 6-3
Louise Ternstroem (CU) def. Angel Bean (MSU) 6-3, 6-3Â
Yukiko Ikedo (CU) def. Naomi Jin (MSU) 6-3, 4-6, 6-4
Â
With play beginning at 9 a.m. the Buffs doubles teams put on a competitive performance. Out of the gate, Pia Rebec and Louise Ternstroem took the Bobcats to 6-4, battling through lengthy rallies before they and fellow Colorado duo Willow Gretsch and Heidi Crncan ultimately fell short.
However, things turned around for the Buffs quickly entering singles play. Rebec, making her first singles appearance since March, promptly swept her MSU opponent in straight sets, 6-0, 6-0, without dropping a single game.Â
Crncan and Ternstroem instantly followed, each taking two more straight sets from the Bobcats.
Gretsch continued to battle through a closely contested matchup before narrowly falling. Rounding out singles competition, Yukiko Ikedo added Colorado's fourth victory of the day, fighting through three competitive sets to close out a strong opening day for the Buffs.
"We played the way we expected them to play, with energy and purpose," head coach Anthony Pham said. "Happy for Pia. This is her first singles match in six months, so that's a good match for her."
HOW IT HAPPENEDÂ
As warm-ups concluded the Colorado Cup fell underway, with four teams occupying all seven courts at the Denver Tennis Center for an early morning first match.Â
On the fifth court, Crncan and Gretsch met Montana State's Lola House and Terezie Stverakova.
After falling in game one, the Buffs looked to minimize errors, finding their rhythm and delivering big shots to alternate through the next games.Â
Battling neck-and-neck while maintaining intensity, Colorado was unable to finish opportunities in hard-fought rallies, ultimately falling 6-1.
A court over, Rebec and Ternstroem faced Bobcat sisters Lola and Angel Bean. Ternstroem, the Colorado first year, secured an early lead for the duo, dominating serve receive.
As play continued, Ternstroem maintained an aggressive presence at the net, while Rebec secured the baseline, remaining competitive through extended rallies, though trailing through the first few games.Â
The Colorado duo continued to challenge the Montana sisters, battling through play and keeping each game close. The duo remained resilient, securing important points in intense moments and keeping the pressure on the MSU team.
Coming back from a 5-1 divide, carefully placed shots and maintained energy by the Buffs silenced the Bobcat energy, closing the gap to 5-4.Â
As play on the remaining courts came to an end, both teams rallied around the matchup, cheering on their teammates through a demanding deciding game.Â
With an aggressive shot towards the right line, Montana State narrowly secured the win, leaving the Buffs to look towards the afternoons singles competition.Â
Ikedo also teamed with CSU's Leyla Tozin to face off against Ellie Middleton and Mia Tombari from MSU, and came away with a 6-1 victory.Â
Following the break, playing in the second half of the singles bracket, the Buffs showcased strong energy from the start. Facing the Bobcats for all five singles matches, Colorado was met with many familiar faces from the earlier contests.
Rebec faced Lola Bean, maintaining strategic shots and taking full control of the match, not allowing a singular game from the Canada native and sweeping the match in two 6-0 straight sets. With momentum up,Â
Crncan acted in similar fashion just next door, facing half of the duo she met at the start of the day. Stverakova fought through set one, equalizing the score through the first two games before Colorado ultimately left the Bobcat at a halt, securing the first set 6-3.
With an early advantage, the second-year Buff maintained control. Tallying multiple hard fought points, with big serves allowing full roam of the court, Crncan continued to find success, carrying the match to another 6-3 straight set close.
With two wins under their belt already, Ternstroem was in search of a third. Up quickly in the first set, leading 3-0, she continued to pressure Montana's Angel Bean, the oldest of the Bobcats Bean sisters, with challenging serves and a significant hustle.
Taking an early 5-1 lead, the Colorado first-year closed out the opening set 6-3. Ternstroem followed with another 6-3 set, matching Crncan's result to give the Buffs their third straight singles victory of the day and clinch the win over Montana State.
With two matches left in the day one competition slate, Gretsch faced off against House for two high-intensity sets. Sustaining high energy from start to finish, the two traded throughout the first game before the Bobcat broke open and took set one. Gretsch continued to battle through the second set, keeping the pressure on before dropping the match 6-3, 6-3. Â
To close play, Ikedo took on Naomi Jin, jumping ahead 5-1 in the opening set. With an emphasis on shot placement, the Japan native sent Jin scrambling from the baseline toward the net, taking the first set 6-3.Â
Jin responded with a 6-4 second set, forcing a deciding third. With the score at 4-3 in Colorado's favor, Ikedo held her advantage through the closing games, finishing with a 6-4 result to earn the Buffs' fourth singles win of the day.
UP NEXT
The Buffs will resume their Colorado Cup stint Saturday, facing hosting opponent Denver for two additional doubles matches and five singles matches. Play will begin at 9 a.m. MT and updates will be available on cubuffs.com and @cubuffstennis on Instagram.
"Every day is an opportunity and tomorrow hopefully we can learn from some of the things that we didn't do well today and make those adjustments tomorrow," Pham said.Â
RESULTS
Doubles
Lola House/Terezie Stverakova (MSU) def. Heidi Crncan/Willow Gretsch (CU) 6-1
Angel Bean/Lola Bean (MSU) def. Pia Rebec/Louise Ternstroem (CU) 6-4
Yukiko Ikedo (CU)/Leyla Tozin (CSU) def. Ellie Middleton/Mia Tombari (MSU) Â 6-1
Singles
Pia Rebec (CU) def. Lola Bean (MSU) 6-0, 6-0
Heidi Crncan (CU) def. Terezie Stverakova (MSU) 6-3, 6-3
Lola House (MSU) def. Willow Gretsch (CU) 6-3, 6-3
Louise Ternstroem (CU) def. Angel Bean (MSU) 6-3, 6-3Â
Yukiko Ikedo (CU) def. Naomi Jin (MSU) 6-3, 4-6, 6-4
Â
Players Mentioned
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