Colorado State University Athletics
Colorado State
South Dakota
Tennis Recap: Rams defeat South Dakota on Senior Day
4/19/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Photo Gallery 
FORT COLLINS, Colo. -- The Colorado State women's tennis team won its final regular-season match of the year, defeating South Dakota 5-2 on Sunday morning.
The score doesn't reflect how close the match really was.
"It was a dog fight," head coach Jon Messick said. "It was really tough. The doubles went smoother than the singles, but the singles, on almost every court, we got leads and then let them evaporate. We won first sets on five out of the six matches, and then immediately got down in the second (set). We have to do a better job of maintaining our level of play."
CSU secured the doubles point with a pair of 6-2 victories on the No. 2 and 3 doubles courts. Laia Hernandez Soler and Madison Porter defeated USD's Rymma Maslova and Alice Scott, while Mollie Cooper and Celine Voss beat Yamini Reddy and Dana Brankovic. The Rams' top doubles team of Natalie Heffron and Adriana Wojakowska did not finish after the doubles point was clinched.
The Rams won their first two singles matches on courts two and three in straight sets, as Wojakowska defeated Maslova (7-5, 6-2) and L. Hernandez Soler beat Brankovic (6-2, 7-6). CSU's No. 1 singles player Heffron won her first set but then was eventually defeated in a third-set tiebreaker.
Aina Hernandez Soler had one of the most impressive matches of the day. The native of Barcelona, Spain, jumped all over Alice Scott in the first set, dddefeating her 6-1. In the second set, Scott got a quick 5-1 lead, but A. Hernandez Soler fought back for an impressive 7-5 victory in set two. This secured the victory for the Rams.
They two teams finished out the remaining matches, which saw CSU's Voss defeat Nina Barudzic and South Dakota's Yamini Reddy defeat Maddie Buxton.
After the match, Messick spoke about the importance of seniors Heffron and Wojakowska, who played in their last home contest.
"They've been great and not just the tennis aspect of it, but for the team," Messick said. "They've set the tone as far as culture of the team. Being good students and being good people, and working hard and showing that work ethic. We are going to miss them."
The Rams will now prepare for the Mountain West Championships, which begin on Wednesday, April 22 down south in Albuquerque, N.M. More information about the tournament will be released at the beginning of this week.
DOUBLES
Heffron/Wojakowska (CSU) vs. Pavlovic/Sidenko (USD) DNF
L. Hernandez Soler/Porter (CSU) def. Maslova/Scott (USD) 6-2
Cooper/Voss (CSU) def. Reddy/Brankovic (USD) 6-2
Order of finish: 2, 3
SINGLES
Yuliya Sidenko (USD) def. Natalie Heffron (CSU) 4-6, 6-4, 10-7
Adriana Wojakowska (CSU) def. Rymma Maslova (USD) 7-5, 6-2
Laia Hernandez Soler (CSU) def. Dana Brankovic (USD) 6-2, 7-6
Aina Hernandez Soler (CSU) def. Alice Scott (USD) 6-1, 7-5
Yamini Reddy (USD) def. Maddie Buxton (CSU) 6-3, 7-5
Celine Voss (CSU) def. Nina Barudzic (USD) 6-2, 6-4
Order of finish: 3, 2, 1, 4, 6, 5
