COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Fort Hays State came up a bit short in a pair of competitive matches in Colorado Springs on Saturday. The Tigers lost each contest by scores of 4-3, falling short to Colorado College and Colorado Mesa. The team doubles point was the decisive factor in both matchups as the teams split singles matches 3-3 in each contest. The Tigers are now 1-2 overall for the season.
Colorado College 4, Fort Hays State 3
Colorado College escaped with a 4-3 win at home, narrowly pulling out a decisive doubles contest and a pair of singles matches that went to three sets.
Colorado College earned the doubles point with wins in two of three matches. Sabrina Larsen and Maddie Silviera defeated
Madeline Deters and
Janae Montoya 6-4 at No. 3 doubles before
Caelie Cox and
Bethan Gill answered for the Tigers with a 7-5 win over Amelia Karr and Ally Lowe at No. 2. Natalie Anaya and Aspen Young clinched the point for Colorado College at No. 1 with a 7-6 (8-6) victory over
Albany Pulido and
Sandra Rodriguez, who were leading in the tiebreak before a rally from the Colorado College pair.
The Tigers earned singles points at No. 4, No. 5 and No. 6. Pulido defeated Larsen 7-5, 6-1 at No. 4 and
Mekenzy Clark followed with a 7-5, 6-3 win over Sofia Reuter at No. 6. Cox added a 7-6(5), 6-2 victory over Silviera at No. 5.
Colorado College leveled when Young defeated
Charlie Stirling 6-4, 6-1 at No. 1, and Lowe edged Gill 4-6, 6-4, 1-0 (10-2) at No. 2. The No. 3 match was the decisive contest as Anaya topped Rodriguez 4-6, 6-2, 1-0 (10-4).
Colorado Mesa 4, Fort Hays State 3
Just like the first contest of the day, the Tiger opponent took two of three doubles contests, which turned out to be big in the end after a split of singles matches. The Tigers won singles matches at the No. 2, No. 4 and No. 5 positions.
CMU earned the doubles point with wins at No. 3 and No. 2 doubles. Sophie Hartman and Luciana Del Carlo defeated
Madeline Deters and
Janae Montoya 6-1 at No. 3 before
Albany Pulido and
Sandra Rodriguez answered for the Tigers with a 6-2 win over Devyn Rodriguez and Valentina Gonzalez at No. 1. Catalina Ballon and Eva Muraske clinched the point for CMU with a 6-2 victory over
Caelie Cox and
Bethan Gill at No. 2.
Even though the Mavericks had their clinching singles point with the score at 4-1, the Tigers showed resiliency by taking all of their singles wins in three sets. Gonzalez defeated Rodriguez 6-1, 6-1 at No. 3, but Gill brought the Tigers back within a point at 2-1 with a 3-6, 6-1, 1-0 (10-4) win over Muraske at No. 2. Ruby Robbins of CMU took a 6-2, 6-0 decision over
Mekenzy Clark at No. 6 and Devyn Rodriguez clinched the dual for CMU at No. 1 singles, defeating
Charlie Stirling 6-2, 6-4. The Tigers took the final two matches after the clinch, with Cox beating Hartman 5-7, 6-4, 1-0 (10-3) at No. 5 and Pulido defeating Ballon 7-6(5), 3-6, 1-0 (10-8) at No. 4.
Fort Hays State will have a week off before going on the road for a pair of matches on October 6 and 9. The Tigers will be playing Kansas Wesleyan and Doane University in that road swing.
