Rams Drop Senior Day Match to No. 40 Aztecs

Calendar

Show:/

Apr 17

4:00 PM

Women's Tennis

vs Wyoming

Apr 22

TBA

Women's Tennis

vs Mountain West Championships

FORT COLLINS – Competitors are focused on finding a pathway to success. It could be as simple as a spark leading them in the right direction. For some, an occasional, simple reminder.

Which is how Diana Lizarazo has started match days of late. The sophomore begins by taking inventory of her mental state of being and looks for the missing piece. Then she takes out a Sharpie and adds it to the inside of her left wrist.

"I know people do it and I was like, why not? Let's just try it," Lizarazo said. "It has helped me more than I thought it was going to. Just like depending on how I'm feeling and just seeing it … I'm very visual. So seeing it, it's very helpful.

"It depends on what I feel like I need in that moment, in that day, that week. Every match is different. I've been doing the same thing for a couple weeks. It's different, so it depends."

For Sunday's match against No. 40 San Diego State, one the Aztecs claimed 4-0, the wording Lizarazo went with was "Be Brave and Be Smart," one stacked on top of the other. She's used Discipline over Feelings, having heard that used by the football team and sensing it was what she's needed on occasion.

The message changes with where she's at with her game and her confidence, physically and mentally. She had won her first set at No. 4 singles 6-3 and was leading 3-2 in the second when the Aztecs clinched. Even playing at a high level, every now and again she would seek the reminder.

"Sometimes when you're on court, everything kind of starts revolving around your head. It's like, I don't know what to do. You start feeling a lot," she said. "Just looking at my wrist is kind of like putting my head into that and having a focus. It's kind of narrowing it to that."

Teammate Annika Planinsek found her pathway in California. Having struggled early on while coming back from injury, the junior just needed a jolt to regain her confidence and playing well did the trick.

It was her reminder of what she was capable of doing on the court.

"It feels good to know that I'm able to play this way and that I'm able to be consistent," she said. "I I think consistency is a big part of success. I've been consistently getting up in the first, so it feels good as a tennis player."

She had won the first set 6-1 and was battling deep in the second when play was halted, and while she would have preferred to close it out, her performance is something she can carry forward.

As a coach, Mai-Ly Tran knows every player is different, applauding each individual for finding what is going to work for them.

"They're all individual tennis players. Certain things work for them, and it's finding out what works for them and go with it," she said. "With Annika, it's so cool to see in her actual game how consistent she is, but also in her day-to-day of what she brings, like in practice and in matches. And she definitely raises her level in the matches, but we're just scratching the surface of what she's capable of. It's just cool to see her trajectory of just her improving every single match."

The match came with the challenge of facing a ranked team and the emotions of celebrating a pair of seniors, Luana Avelar and Hanna Haber. Both have made an impact, be it over four seasons (Avelar) or just one (Haber).

It adds to the day, but Tran knows it can also be a temporary distraction before getting emotions in check and funneled toward the task. For Planinsek, it simply added to her why.

"I played for Lou and I played for Hannah today. And I think that's just an amazing feeling to have.

"I love my seniors. They're really the best," Planinsek said. "They bring so much to the team, and it was great to just play for them today. I feel very grateful. I feel very blessed and grateful that I met them in August, and they're some of the closest people. They helped me through a lot, and I'm just so happy that we have the bond that we have."

The Rams (6-15 overall, 2-8 Mountain West) have one final test in the regular season with Wyoming at home (Friday, 4 p.m.), before turning their attention to the Mountain West tournament.

Calendar

Upcoming Events

Recent Results