Buffs Comeback Falls Short – University of Colorado Athletics

Box Score BOULDER – For the second consecutive home match the Colorado Buffaloes Tennis team found themselves down 3-0, and for the second consecutive home match the Buffs won three consecutive matches to set up a third-set tiebreaker for the match. Unfortunately, this time around the Buffs magic came up just short in the tiebreaker against No. 52 Utah on Friday afternoon, with the Buffs falling 4-3 here at the CU Tennis Complex on south campus.  

On Senior Day for Antonia Balzert, the Buffs looked to flip the script from last week’s Arizona matches, but the match didn’t get off to a fast start. For the seventh consecutive match the Buffs dropped the doubles point and trailed 1-0. Utah kept the momentum at the start of singles action winning the first two singles matches to go up 3-0, needing only one more win to clinch the match.

Much like the previous home match against Washington the Buffs started to create a little momentum, starting with Aya El Sayed who got the scoring started with her 11th straight win. Colorado would go on to win the next two matches at No. 2 and No. 6 singles from Elys Ventura and Carri Hayes respectively to tie up the match 3-3.

In a back-and-forth match at No. 3 singles between Mila Stanojevic and Kaila Barksdale would come down to a third set tiebreaker to decide the match. In the tiebreaker after a double fault from Stanojevic to tie it at three, Barksdale went on a 4-1 run to close out the match and get the victory for the Utes.

How it Happened

• Colorado got the first win of the afternoon at No. 2 doubles 6-2 from Mila Stanojevic and Elys Ventura over Samantha Horwood and Katya Townsend.
• Kaila Barksdale and Marcela Lopez got the first win of the day for Utah at No. 3 doubles over Ellen Puzak and Betina Tokac 6-3.
• Utah soon after clinched the doubles point at No. 1 doubles behind a 6-3 win from Anastasia Goncharova and Madison Tattini over Antonia Balzert and Aya El Sayed.
• Marcela Lopez extended the lead for the Utes at No. 5 singles with a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Betina Tokac.
• Utah continued to win at No.1 singles with a 6-3, 6-2 win from Katya Townsend over Antonia Balzert to extend the lead to 3-0.
• Aya El Sayed continued her Pac-12 dominance with a 6-1, 7-6(5) defeat of Anastasia Goncharova to move to 5-0 in conference play.
• Carri Hayes closed the gap for Colorado at…