Buffs triumph after five set losing streak
The College of William & Mary came into Boulder without ever having lost a doubles point and, more importantly, without having lost a match yet this season.
All of that changed Wednesday afternoon, when the 29th-ranked CU women’s tennis team upset No. 12 William & Mary 4-3 in a hard-fought, come-from-behind victory.
Down 3-2, CU’s fate was in the hands of Gleisy Torres Torres and Monica Milewski. Torres Torres, down 4-1 in the second set after already losing the first set, roared back to even the match, winning the set 7-5. Then, in a close third set, she again won 7-5, thus keeping CU’s hopes alive for the upset.
“The girl gave me some chances and I took the opportunities,” Torres Torres said of her opponent. “I always fight, even if I’m down. I always fight for every point.”
Milewski, who took on the nationally ranked No. 5 singles player in Megan Moulton-Levy, had similar challenges. With the match tied at two sets apiece, Moulton-Levy went up 4-1 in the decisive frame.
With the entire day’s matches in the balance, Milewski bounced back to win five consecutive games and take the No. 1-singles match, giving CU its clinching point to take the overall competition.
“I don’t think I’ve ever fought that hard in my life for a match,” Milewski said. “And it paid off.”
Immediately after the winning point, the rest of the team began jumping up and down and screaming in celebration, but all Milewski could do was put her hands on her knees.
“I was ready to pass out, I could not move,” she said. “But I had to keep telling myself that I wasn’t tired, and that’s what won me the match.”
CU improved to 9-1 when winning the doubles point and 10-3 overall. They remain 5-0 in the Big 12, the team’s best start ever in school history. William & Mary fell to 11-1.
Head Coach Nicole Kenneally has no doubt where this win ranks in her eight-year stint with the Buffs.
William & Mary “was No. 9 last week, No. 12 this week,” Kenneally said. “So that’s definitely my biggest win as a coach.”
It wasn’t easy beating a top program like William & Mary. For singles play, the Buffs lost their first five sets before turning things around.
“I think it shows the heart of our team and what the girls are made of,” Kenneally said. “(It shows) how much they’re willing to be out there for themselves as well as for each other.”
The Buffs now have time to rest and perfect their game as their next game is not until March 24, when they visit Texas A&M. Two days later, they visit the University of Texas.
“We’ll enjoy this (win) tonight,” Kenneally said. “The girls will be getting a couple days off, but then we’ll be getting ready for that Texas swing in the Big 12 next week.”
This match concluded the Buffs run of three games in five days, a run in which they did not lose. That fact does not affect the coach nearly as much as it does the players, such as Milewski, who plays not only singles, but doubles as well.
“We’ve played so many matches in these past couple days and to come out and beat a team like William & Mary, that really shows so much about us that we are going to go out there and fight,” Milewski said. “I’m so proud of the team.”
While this win no doubt may be the signature win of the season, the Buffs still have nine regular season matches to go, a fact not lost on Kenneally.
“It’s a great win, but you know what? We still have matches to come,” Kenneally said.
CU’s next home game is on April 21 against the University of Oklahoma.
Set Scores
1s) Monica Milewski (CU) def. (5) Megan Moulton-Levy (W&M) 5-7, 6-1, 6-4
2s) (72) Katarina Zoricic (W&M) def. Camila Belassi (CU) 6-3, 6-4
3s) (96) Ragini Acharya (W&M) def. Veera Nurmi (CU) 6-1, 6-0
4s) Franziska Jendrian (CU) def. Klaudyna Kasztelaniec (W&M) 6-1, 6-2
5s) Gleisy Torres Torres (CU) def. Magdalena Bresson (W&M) 2-6, 7-5, 7-5
6s) Lauren Sabacinski (W&M) def. Victoria Almagno (CU) 6-4, 6-1
Contact Campus Press Staff writer Evan Acker at evan.acker@thecampuspress.com.
