Colorado handled No. 63 New Mexico, who came in with a 7-1 record, on Sunday.
The freshman/senior combo at No. 1 doubles of Tina Bokhua and Julyette Steur started things off with a 6-2 win. Ashley Tiefel and Alexandra Aiello added a 6-1 win to give Colorado the doubles win.
In singles, Bokhua and Steur again notched wins; both in straight sets. Ormeno Ruiz followed suit, defeating Emily Olivier 7-5, 7-5. The Buffs didn’t let up after taking a 4-0 lead in the match, ultimately winning 5-2.
“We are all one, we are on the same train,” said coach Nicole Kenneally.
She also commented on the philosophy that the sport is a 24/7 thing. It isn’t just the matches, it’s what goes into those matches that makes teams great.
Bokhua and Steur now hold a 5-2 record at No. 1 doubles. Teammates Alex Aiello and Ashley Tiefel stayed unbeaten at the No. 2 doubles spot with their win. Steur also holds a 7-0 record in dual play, with Bokhua and Ormeno Ruiz close behind with 6-1 records.
Julyette Steur and Ashley Tiefel are the senior leaders on the Buffaloes tennis team and they showed up in a big way today, winning every match they were a part of. But, Bokhua, a freshman gets the job at No. 1 singles.
Kenneally said that she’s going to put her best player out at No. 1.
“When your best player is a freshman, there isn’t any other choice,” she said.
Aiello made quick work with her singles match, a dominant win over New Mexico’s Dulski (6-2, 6-1) to add to her doubles win earlier in the day. The win was her 30th career singles victory. Freshmen, Kyra Wojcik and Vitaliya Alkhovik, dropped their hard fought matches.
The Buffs (6-1) will play Nevada at home on Saturday, February 21. The Lobos drop to a 7-2 record with their next test against Utah. With today’s win, Colorado came one step closer to tying the all-time series. The Lobos currently hold a 17-16 advantage all-time. The Buffs have won five of the last six matches against New Mexico.
Doubles:
- Bokhua/Steur 6-2 (W)
- Tiefel/Aiello 6-1 (W)
- Ormeno/Wojcik 5-2 (DNF)
Singles:
- Bokhua 7-5, 6-2 (W)
- Steur 6-3, 7-5 (W)
- Ormeno 7-5, 7-5 (W)
- Aiello 6-2, 6-1 (W)
- Wojcik 6-7 (2-7), 4-6 (L)
- Alkhovik 6-7 (7-9), 2-6 ()
Match score: Colorado 6, New Mexico 1
Contact CU Independent reporter Cannon Casey at Cannon.Casey@colorado.edu
