Colorado Drops Match To USC

BOULDER – The Colorado women's tennis team fell 5-1 here Sunday afternoon to No.21-ranked USC, but in the process picked up the first ranked win of the season.
 
The Buffaloes (4-5, 0-2 Pac-12) dropped the first four points of the match before Mila Stanojevic dominated the Trojans (7-7, 1-1 Pac-12) in the No.4 singles match.
 
Stanojevic, who had won 13-straight matches before Friday, swept the first set 6-0 from Danielle Willson, the 105th-ranked player in the NCAA. She followed it up with a 6-3 second set victory to capture the first ranked win of the season and her young career. It is the first point picked up off of either LA school since 2018.
 
The other very close match of the afternoon came from Megan Forster in the No.3 singles match. Forster dropped the first set 6-2 to No.56-ranked Snow Han. Forster responded with a 6-4 second set victory before falling late in the third set 6-3.
 
The rest of the matches were well fought but USC took every set. Caroline Pozo battled to a 6-4, 6-2 loss to the No.5-ranked player in the country in Eryn Cayetano. No.36 Salma Ewing defeated Antonia Balzert 6-3, 6-2, and the final completed match had McKenna Koenig defeat Betina Tokac in the No.5 singles match 6-3, 6-4.
 
Colorado has a busy upcoming week that starts with hosting Air Force in a rescheduled match Wednesday at 10 a.m. before heading on the road to take on Washington State Friday at 12:30 p.m. MT and Washington Sunday at noon. Following that trip, CU takes on CSU Tuesday Mar. 15 at 12 p.m. in Boulder and finish out the first half of conference play at Stanford and at Cal. The Buffs are on a current stretch of the schedule that features eight matches in 17 days.
 
QUOTES
Head Coach Anthony Pham
On The Match
It was a tough weekend. Credit to UCLA and USC, they played well and deserved to win.
 
On Mila Stanojevic
She's obviously had a good spring. It's good to see her be able to pick up the win. She lost a tough one on Friday and to be able to bounce back today against Willson is huge. I'm happy for her, hopefully she can keep it going.
 
On Next Week
We look at as a bunch of opportunities. We play Air Force on Wednesday, and they're a good team, obviously it's a regional rivalry. We're going to have to get ready for that. We hit the road for the first Pac-12 matches and hopefully we can bounce back and be ready to go.
 
RESULTS
#21 Southern California 5, Colorado 1
 
Singles competition
1. #5 Eryn Cayetano (USC) def. Caroline Pozo (COLO) 6-4, 6-2
2. #36 Salma Ewing (USC) def. Antonia Balzert (COLO) 6-3, 6-2
3. #56 Snow Han (USC) def. Megan Forster (COLO) 6-2, 4-6, 6-3
4. Mila Stanojevic (COLO) def. #105 Danielle Willson (USC) 6-0, 6-3
5. McKenna Koenig (USC) def. Betina Tokac (COLO) 6-3, 6-4
6. Ky Ecton (COLO) vs. Isabella Lee (USC) 4-6, unfinished
 
Doubles competition
1. Eryn Cayetano/Grace Piper (USC) def. Caroline Pozo/Megan Forster (COLO) 6-1
2. #19 Snow Han/Salma Ewing (USC) def. Antonia Balzert/Mila Stanojevic (COLO) 6-2
3. Betina Tokac/Ellen Puzak (COLO) vs. Sloane Morra/Danielle Willson (USC) 4-3, unfinished
 
Match Notes:
Southern California 7-7, 1-1 Pac-12; National ranking #21
Colorado 4-5 0-2 Pac-12
 
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2); Singles (1,2,3,4,5)