Saturday, October 24
Denver, Colo.
Colorado
vs
Day 2
October 24, 2026 | Tennis
DENVER - The Colorado Buffaloes tennis team secured a successful doubles wins and two pair of singles victories against Denver Saturday at the University of Denver's Denver Tennis Park on the second of three days of the Colorado Cup.
Matched up against the hosts for Day 2, Pia Rebec and Louise Ternstroem carried home a dominant 6-3 doubles win, before the two each battled through competitive singles performances alongside the remainder of their three teammates.Â
Tallying an additional singles win to add to her competition count, Ternstroem swept in straight sets, defeating the Pioneers 6-4, 6-2, making her 2-0 in singles for the weekend. Rebec took her opponent to three sets, securing the first before narrowly falling in the next two.
Notching another victory for the Buffs, second-year Heidi Crncan took the opening singles set 6-2 before carrying her strong performance into the second. Facing a determined Denver opponent, Crncan kept the pressure on throughout the match, shutting out the contest 6-3 in two sets.
"I thought we came out today with better focus, energy, intent," head coach Anthony Pham said. "Just better play overall in doubles."
HOW IT HAPPENED
Taking the courts for doubles for a second time this weekend, Crncan and Gretsch met Denver's Frankie Tye and Yunfei Cai, the 2026 Summit League Newcomer of the Year.
Faced with a competitive matchup, Gretsch remained near the net while Crncan covered the backcourt, frequently alternating positions throughout play to find their rhythm.Â
Following the opening game, strong serves from both Buffs forced a return error from the Pioneers to level the score at 1-1.Â
Gaining ground throughout the next games, the hosts battled through a competitive Colorado performance before extending their lead, advancing 3-1 before widening the margin and eventually taking the set 6-1.Â
Rebec and Ternstroem faced Paulina Jurkowska and Sofia Mavor, who they met earlier this month at regionals, battling through extended rallies with both players remaining at the middle of the court for the majority of the match.Â
After the Buffs took the first set, DU responded, equalizing the score at 1-1. Firing a downwards shot to the feet of the Pioneers, Rebec secured Colorado an early advantage to take the second game.Â
The teams continued to even the score, with Colorado falling 3-2 before fighting back to close the gap 3-3 and eventually taking three consecutive games to secure a dominant 6-3 doubles victory.Â
Teaming up with the Pioneers for a singular doubles match, CU's Yukiko Ikedo partnered with Denver's Remy Nguyen, defeating Montana State's Naomi Jin and Stela Sifuentes, 7-5.
Entering singles play with confidence, all five Buffs took the court against the hosts, facing several familiar opponents from earlier in the morning.Â
Making an appearance, 2025 Colorado graduates Mila Stanojevic and Betina Tokac returned to support the Buffs, cheering on their former teammates throughout the competition.Â
Joining them were Lera Alexin and Ema Bubalo, who sat out the weekend following their qualification for nationals last week. With plenty of Colorado support courtside, Gretsch continued to battle through singles before ultimately falling 6-1, 6-1 to Denver opponent Cai.Â
While heads remained high, Ikedo fought a back-and-forth battle. Collecting the first games in set one, leading 3-2, the Buff persisted through both sets securing important points in high pressure moments though coming short to finish 6-4 and 6-3 for the day in singles play.
Responding, Crncnan looked to secure a Colorado comeback. Shuffling through the baseline through competitive points, the England native took an early need while Jurkowska fell short. The Buff took the first set 6-2 before facing a tougher matchup in the second set.Â
As what could be her final set continued, Crncan continued momentum, showcasing a high amount of energy as the Pioneer fought back, with the Buffs in the lead at 4-3 shots near the line allowed CU to utilize opportunities and secure the second set 6-3.
With pace increasing and play nearing its end, the two remaining Buffaloes on the court sought out to take the match from Denver.
First-year Ternstroem immediately displayed a high level of intensity. Battling through long rallies against Mavor, who she and Rebec defeated during doubles play, the Sweden native took early control of the match, finding her flow while leading 4-3 and taking the first set 6-4.Â
An extremely competitive start of the second set presented a higher challenge. However, Ternstroem claimed key points and remained level headed, outplaying DU 6-2, sweeping play for the day.
After a competitive first set, Rebec took Tye to three sets. Capitalizing through Denver errors, the fourth-year Buff maintained rallies, taking the lead in set one at 3-2 and maintaining it for the remainder of the set. Finding less luck in the second, the matchup reached a third, where Rebec then fell 6-0 to conclude the second day.
UP NEXT
The Buffaloes will conclude their hidden dual Colorado Cup play Sunday against in-state rival Colorado State. Both doubles teams will play at 9 a.m., with singles to follow later in the day.
"Same thing every day, right?" Pham said. "We're here to play matches. We want them to keep doing things that are a little uncomfortable for them. There are things that we're working on in practice, and the more they do it in matches, the more success they have."
RESULTS
Doubles
Pia Rebec/Louise Ternstroem (CU) def. Paulina Jurkowska/Sofia Mavor (DU) 6-3
Yunfei Cai/Frankie Tye (DU) def. Heidi Crncan/Willow Gretsch (CU) 6-1
Yukiko Ikedo(CU)/ Remy Nguyen (DU) def. Naomi Jin/Stela Sifuentes (MSU) 7-5
Singles
Yunfei Cai (DU) def. Willow Gretsch (CU) 6-1, 6-1
Caroline Daugherty (DU) def. Yukiko Ikedo (CU) 6-4, 6-3Â
Heidi Crncan (CU) def. Paulina Jurkowska (DU) 6-2, 6-3
Louise Ternstroem (CU) def. Sofia Mavor (DU) 6-4, 6-2
Frankie Tye (DU) def. Pia Rebec (CU) 6-3, 4-6, 6-0
Matched up against the hosts for Day 2, Pia Rebec and Louise Ternstroem carried home a dominant 6-3 doubles win, before the two each battled through competitive singles performances alongside the remainder of their three teammates.Â
Tallying an additional singles win to add to her competition count, Ternstroem swept in straight sets, defeating the Pioneers 6-4, 6-2, making her 2-0 in singles for the weekend. Rebec took her opponent to three sets, securing the first before narrowly falling in the next two.
Notching another victory for the Buffs, second-year Heidi Crncan took the opening singles set 6-2 before carrying her strong performance into the second. Facing a determined Denver opponent, Crncan kept the pressure on throughout the match, shutting out the contest 6-3 in two sets.
"I thought we came out today with better focus, energy, intent," head coach Anthony Pham said. "Just better play overall in doubles."
HOW IT HAPPENED
Taking the courts for doubles for a second time this weekend, Crncan and Gretsch met Denver's Frankie Tye and Yunfei Cai, the 2026 Summit League Newcomer of the Year.
Faced with a competitive matchup, Gretsch remained near the net while Crncan covered the backcourt, frequently alternating positions throughout play to find their rhythm.Â
Following the opening game, strong serves from both Buffs forced a return error from the Pioneers to level the score at 1-1.Â
Gaining ground throughout the next games, the hosts battled through a competitive Colorado performance before extending their lead, advancing 3-1 before widening the margin and eventually taking the set 6-1.Â
Rebec and Ternstroem faced Paulina Jurkowska and Sofia Mavor, who they met earlier this month at regionals, battling through extended rallies with both players remaining at the middle of the court for the majority of the match.Â
After the Buffs took the first set, DU responded, equalizing the score at 1-1. Firing a downwards shot to the feet of the Pioneers, Rebec secured Colorado an early advantage to take the second game.Â
The teams continued to even the score, with Colorado falling 3-2 before fighting back to close the gap 3-3 and eventually taking three consecutive games to secure a dominant 6-3 doubles victory.Â
Teaming up with the Pioneers for a singular doubles match, CU's Yukiko Ikedo partnered with Denver's Remy Nguyen, defeating Montana State's Naomi Jin and Stela Sifuentes, 7-5.
Entering singles play with confidence, all five Buffs took the court against the hosts, facing several familiar opponents from earlier in the morning.Â
Making an appearance, 2025 Colorado graduates Mila Stanojevic and Betina Tokac returned to support the Buffs, cheering on their former teammates throughout the competition.Â
Joining them were Lera Alexin and Ema Bubalo, who sat out the weekend following their qualification for nationals last week. With plenty of Colorado support courtside, Gretsch continued to battle through singles before ultimately falling 6-1, 6-1 to Denver opponent Cai.Â
While heads remained high, Ikedo fought a back-and-forth battle. Collecting the first games in set one, leading 3-2, the Buff persisted through both sets securing important points in high pressure moments though coming short to finish 6-4 and 6-3 for the day in singles play.
Responding, Crncnan looked to secure a Colorado comeback. Shuffling through the baseline through competitive points, the England native took an early need while Jurkowska fell short. The Buff took the first set 6-2 before facing a tougher matchup in the second set.Â
As what could be her final set continued, Crncan continued momentum, showcasing a high amount of energy as the Pioneer fought back, with the Buffs in the lead at 4-3 shots near the line allowed CU to utilize opportunities and secure the second set 6-3.
With pace increasing and play nearing its end, the two remaining Buffaloes on the court sought out to take the match from Denver.
First-year Ternstroem immediately displayed a high level of intensity. Battling through long rallies against Mavor, who she and Rebec defeated during doubles play, the Sweden native took early control of the match, finding her flow while leading 4-3 and taking the first set 6-4.Â
An extremely competitive start of the second set presented a higher challenge. However, Ternstroem claimed key points and remained level headed, outplaying DU 6-2, sweeping play for the day.
After a competitive first set, Rebec took Tye to three sets. Capitalizing through Denver errors, the fourth-year Buff maintained rallies, taking the lead in set one at 3-2 and maintaining it for the remainder of the set. Finding less luck in the second, the matchup reached a third, where Rebec then fell 6-0 to conclude the second day.
UP NEXT
The Buffaloes will conclude their hidden dual Colorado Cup play Sunday against in-state rival Colorado State. Both doubles teams will play at 9 a.m., with singles to follow later in the day.
"Same thing every day, right?" Pham said. "We're here to play matches. We want them to keep doing things that are a little uncomfortable for them. There are things that we're working on in practice, and the more they do it in matches, the more success they have."
RESULTS
Doubles
Pia Rebec/Louise Ternstroem (CU) def. Paulina Jurkowska/Sofia Mavor (DU) 6-3
Yunfei Cai/Frankie Tye (DU) def. Heidi Crncan/Willow Gretsch (CU) 6-1
Yukiko Ikedo(CU)/ Remy Nguyen (DU) def. Naomi Jin/Stela Sifuentes (MSU) 7-5
Singles
Yunfei Cai (DU) def. Willow Gretsch (CU) 6-1, 6-1
Caroline Daugherty (DU) def. Yukiko Ikedo (CU) 6-4, 6-3Â
Heidi Crncan (CU) def. Paulina Jurkowska (DU) 6-2, 6-3
Louise Ternstroem (CU) def. Sofia Mavor (DU) 6-4, 6-2
Frankie Tye (DU) def. Pia Rebec (CU) 6-3, 4-6, 6-0
Players Mentioned
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