The Colorado Buffaloes women’s tennis team will play against No. 30 Texas Tech in Lubbock, Texas, on Saturday, March 29. The match follows two close home losses for the Buffaloes against BYU and Utah.
This upcoming match is significant as the Buffaloes aim to rebound after their recent defeats and continue their competitive run in the Big 12 Conference. Head coach Anthony Pham said, “We knew going into the Big 12 season that every match would be close. Every team is good, and whether we win or lose, we know it just comes down to a handful of points. Our team has done a good job of fighting to the end. That’s a characteristic of our program, that we compete hard. We’ve got a resilient group, we’ll go out there and fight, and put ourselves in the best position we can.”
Despite recent setbacks, Colorado has achieved ten wins this season—surpassing last year’s total—and matched last year’s conference win count. The team is currently ranked No. 61 by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA), marking its fifth ranking this season and only the third time in ten years with at least five rankings during one campaign.
Pham addressed injuries affecting the squad but highlighted players stepping up: “We’ve unfortunately had some injuries, but I think every team is dealing with that this time of year,” he said. “Yukiko [Ikedo] and Heidi [Crncan] have done a really good job of stepping up and being prepared. We’re going to keep doing what we can do and control. We know Texas Tech is a good team, but we’re confident in our group.”
The Buffs lead their all-time series against Texas Tech by sixteen wins to ten; however, Texas Tech won each of their last three encounters—including last season’s 4-0 victory over Colorado at Boulder.
Texas Tech enters Saturday’s contest with an overall record of thirteen wins and seven losses (4-4 Big 12). Their roster includes doubles pair Yekaterina Dmitrichenko and Hailey Murphy—ranked No. 38 nationally—with a fifteen-win record this season.
Last year saw Texas Tech claim the Big 12 Championship after defeating UCF following a three-way tie for first place during regular conference play.
Looking ahead to Saturday’s competition at McLeod Tennis Center beginning at 11 a.m., Pham emphasized focus: “It just goes back to just controlling what we can control,” he said. “Our energy, our attitude, the way we approach these matches…we have to do a better job of making sure we get off to better starts and taking advantage of opportunities when we create them.”
