Women's Tennis Takes On KU At Big 12 Championships
BOULDER - For the second time in as many weeks, the University of Colorado women's tennis team will face the Kansas Jayhawks, this time in the first round of the Big 12 Tennis Championships, Thursday, April 27 at the Baylor Tennis Center hosted by the University of Baylor.
The Buffaloes (10-9, 4-7 Big 12), ranked No. 53 nationally have lost three straight entering Thursday's match are the No. 9 seed for the first time since the 2000 season. CU has advanced to the conference semifinals twice in the last three years after playing on the first day of the championships.
KU (13-10, 4-7), seeded No. 8, defeated the Buffs back on April 15, 4-3 during a cold and windy Saturday afternoon in Boulder.
The CU/KU match up will be the fifth time between the two schools in the conference post-season with the Buffs holding a 3-1 advantage. CU won the head-to-head match up at last year's event, and again in 2003 and 1998. KU won their lone match in 1997.
The CU/KU winner will face top-seed Baylor (22-3, 11-0) in the conference quarterfinals, Friday, at 3 p.m.
The Big 12 Tennis Championships are scheduled for Thursday-Sunday in Waco, Texas. The women's field features prior winners Texas (1997-2002, 2005), Oklahoma State (2003), and Texas A&M (2004).
Live updates of all matches can be found on Baylor's official athletic website, www.BaylorBears.com. Hit the 2006 Big 12 Championships link in the top right corner of the front page.
Big 12 Tennis Championship History
2005, Austin, Texas
First Round: #6 Colorado, #11 Kansas, 4-2
Quarterfinals: #6 Colorado, #3 Nebraska, 4-2
Semifinals: #2 Texas, #6 Colorado, 4-0
2004, Norman, Okla.
First Round: #5 Colorado, #12 Iowa State, 4-0
Quarterfinals: #4 Baylor, #5 Colorado, 4-0
2003, Kansas City, Mo.
First Round: #8 Colorado, #9 Kansas, 4-3
Quarterfinals: #8 Colorado, #1 Baylor, 4-2
Semifinals: #3 Oklahoma State, #8 Colorado, 4-0
2002, College Station, Texas
First Round: #9 Texas Tech, #8 Colorado, 5-0
2001, Waco, Texas
First Round: #8 Colorado, #9 Texas Tech, 4-1
Quarterfinals: #1 Texas, #8 Colorado, 4-0
2000, Kansas City, Mo.
First Round: #9 Colorado, #8 Oklahoma, 5-2
Quarterfinals: #1 Texas, #9 Colorado, 5-0
1999, College Station, Texas
Quarterfinals: #7 Oklahoma, #2 Colorado, 5-4
1998, Lincoln, Neb.
Quarterfinals: #3 Colorado, #6 Oklahoma, 5-1
Semifinals: #3 Colorado, #2 Kansas, 5-3
Championship: #1 Texas, #3 Colorado, 5-0
1997, Austin, Texas
First Round: #5 Colorado, #12 Missouri, 6-0
Quarterfinals: #4 Kansas, #5 Colorado, 5-4
CU against the conference:
vs. Baylor: 1-1 (upset the top-seeded Bears in the 2003 quarters, first 8th or lower seed to defeat top seed)
vs. Kansas: 3-1: have played against each other in 2005 (CU won), 2003 (CU), 1998 (CU), 1997 (KU)
vs. Iowa State: 1-0
vs. Missouri: 1-0
vs. Nebraska: 1-0
vs. Oklahoma: 2-1
vs. Oklahoma State: 0-1
vs. Texas: 0-4
vs. Texas Tech: 1-1
As #2 seed: 0-1
As #3 seed: 2-1
As #5 seed: 2-2
As #6 seed: 2-1
As #8 seed: 3-3
As #9 seed: 1-1
10-9
season notes:
- the match against Kansas is the first neutral court match for the Buffs this dual season.
- Head Coach Nicole Kenneally is in her seventh season at Colorado and ranks second all-time in victories with 75.
- Sophomore Veera Nurmi leads the team in victories with 22, followed with senior Jessica Vanderdys with 20. Freshmen Monica Milewski and Franziska Jendrian have 18 and 17 wins, respectively.
- Nurmi and Jendrian each have a team-best 12 dual match singles wins; Nurmi is the lone CU woman to record double-digit wins at a numbered position with a 10-4 record at No. 4.
- Jendrian has the most conference matches with seven, followed with Nurmi with six wins; Nurmi won 20 singles matches for the second consecutive year (20 wins in her freshman year).
- Senior Jessica Vanderdys has accumulated 71 career singles victories over her four-year career becoming only the 13th CU women to win that many matches. Nurmi ranks 30th all-time in wins with 41.
- Three women have been nationally ranked in the ITA/Fila singles rankings this spring: Vanderdys started the dual season at No. 39 (6-3 record); Nurmi began the spring at No. 84 (6-3 record); and Milewski was ranked all spring season as high as No. 55.
- in singles, Milewski defeated a pair of No. 95 ranked players in the spring and a No. 30 ranked in the fall; Nurmi defeated a No. 49 ranked player in the fall; Vanderdys upset a No. 36 ranked player in the fall and a No. 107 player in the spring.
- in doubles, Vanderdys and Gleisy Torres Torres upset then-No. 43 Cerna/Zrustova from Baylor back on April 22. That victory pushed Vanderdys into third place all-time at CU in doubles wins (65).
- Torres Torres and Jenny Hanson were named to the 2006 Academic All-Big 12 team. It's the third straight first team honor for Hanson and first for Torres Torres.