Friday, September 25
USAFA, Colo.
Colorado
vs
Day 1
Buffs Doubles Team Advances To Second Round Of Bedford Cup
September 25, 2026 | Tennis
COLORADO SPRINGS - The Colorado Buffaloes tennis team opened the Bedford Cup competition Friday at the U.S. Air Force Academy, recording wins in both singles and doubles play on the first day of the three-day tournament.Â
Returning Buffs Willow Gretsch and Yukiko Ikedo began their fall campaigns with an early morning doubles victory to advance to the next round of competition Saturday morning.Â
"The doubles, they're locked in; they played unreal," CU Assistant Coach Erick Garcia said. "That's the best I've seen them play, in practice or in the match. They made a good team."
Ikedo later carried the momentum into singles play, defeating her first opponent 6-0 in the opening set before securing a 6-4 victory in the second set to lead off individual competition.Â
The Buffs were unable to sustain the initial success through the remainder of the day, with both players falling short in their final singles matches of the afternoon.Â
HOW IT HAPPENED
Out of the gate, the Buffs duo showcased what could be a promising weekend, defeating Air Force doubles team Stephanie Marcheret and Tia Christopulos 6-2 to begin the tournament slate.Â
Entering singles play, Colorado looked to continue its success after the big doubles win.
Senior Gretsch fell in two straight sets to Appalachian State's Alexi Cleveland, the Mountaineer who recorded a 9-5 singles record and went 5-1 in Sun Belt play during her freshman campaign last year.
A court over, Ikedo cruised past New Mexico's Sarah L'Allier, taking six straight games to secure the first set 6-0. L'Allier refused to go down without a fight, proving to be a greater challenge in the second set. After Ikedo took game one, she later found herself down 2-4. Eager to reclaim the lead, the Japan native capitalized, securing four straight games to win 6-4.
"When it came to the important points, I think she showed some experience there and some determination to shut it down," Garcia said. "She did a good job closing that match. It wasn't easy in the second set."
Ikedo faced a more competitive singles match to finish her day, rallying Utah State's Chahd Tourkhani through back-and-forth points before ultimately falling 6-2 in both sets.
In the Buffs' final competition of the day, Gretsch battled Idaho State's Victoria Grymalska but was unable to overcome an early deficit, dropping the opening set, 6-2. A shift in pace immediately followed with Gretsch bringing the second set in reach, before narrowly falling 7-5.
UP NEXTÂ
The second day of competition will be in full swing at 9 a.m. Saturday. Gretsch and Ikedo will advance to the second round of doubles play to begin Saturday, before competing in singles play consolation brackets.
RESULTS
Doubles
Willow Gretsch/ Yukiko Ikedo (CU) def. Stephanie Marcheret/Tia Christopulos (Air Force) 6-2
Singles
Alexi Cleveland (App St) def. Willow Gretsch (CU) 6-1, 6-0
Yukiko Ikedo (CU) def. Sarah L'Allier (UNM) 6-0, 6-4
Chahd Tourkhani (USU) def. Yukiko Ikedo (CU) 6-2, 6-2
Victoria Grymalska (ISU) def. Willow Gretsch (CU) 6-2, 7-5
Â
Returning Buffs Willow Gretsch and Yukiko Ikedo began their fall campaigns with an early morning doubles victory to advance to the next round of competition Saturday morning.Â
"The doubles, they're locked in; they played unreal," CU Assistant Coach Erick Garcia said. "That's the best I've seen them play, in practice or in the match. They made a good team."
Ikedo later carried the momentum into singles play, defeating her first opponent 6-0 in the opening set before securing a 6-4 victory in the second set to lead off individual competition.Â
The Buffs were unable to sustain the initial success through the remainder of the day, with both players falling short in their final singles matches of the afternoon.Â
HOW IT HAPPENED
Out of the gate, the Buffs duo showcased what could be a promising weekend, defeating Air Force doubles team Stephanie Marcheret and Tia Christopulos 6-2 to begin the tournament slate.Â
Entering singles play, Colorado looked to continue its success after the big doubles win.
Senior Gretsch fell in two straight sets to Appalachian State's Alexi Cleveland, the Mountaineer who recorded a 9-5 singles record and went 5-1 in Sun Belt play during her freshman campaign last year.
A court over, Ikedo cruised past New Mexico's Sarah L'Allier, taking six straight games to secure the first set 6-0. L'Allier refused to go down without a fight, proving to be a greater challenge in the second set. After Ikedo took game one, she later found herself down 2-4. Eager to reclaim the lead, the Japan native capitalized, securing four straight games to win 6-4.
"When it came to the important points, I think she showed some experience there and some determination to shut it down," Garcia said. "She did a good job closing that match. It wasn't easy in the second set."
Ikedo faced a more competitive singles match to finish her day, rallying Utah State's Chahd Tourkhani through back-and-forth points before ultimately falling 6-2 in both sets.
In the Buffs' final competition of the day, Gretsch battled Idaho State's Victoria Grymalska but was unable to overcome an early deficit, dropping the opening set, 6-2. A shift in pace immediately followed with Gretsch bringing the second set in reach, before narrowly falling 7-5.
UP NEXTÂ
The second day of competition will be in full swing at 9 a.m. Saturday. Gretsch and Ikedo will advance to the second round of doubles play to begin Saturday, before competing in singles play consolation brackets.
RESULTS
Doubles
Willow Gretsch/ Yukiko Ikedo (CU) def. Stephanie Marcheret/Tia Christopulos (Air Force) 6-2
Singles
Alexi Cleveland (App St) def. Willow Gretsch (CU) 6-1, 6-0
Yukiko Ikedo (CU) def. Sarah L'Allier (UNM) 6-0, 6-4
Chahd Tourkhani (USU) def. Yukiko Ikedo (CU) 6-2, 6-2
Victoria Grymalska (ISU) def. Willow Gretsch (CU) 6-2, 7-5
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Players Mentioned
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