Balzert Reaches Flight A Quarterfinals

LAS VEGAS – Colorado women's tennis continued competing in the ITA Mountain Regional Championships today with doubles matches and round of 32 and round of 16 Flight A singles.
 
Mila Stanojevic and Elys Ventura wasted no time getting things going after their first round bye as the 13-seed, easily taking down Idaho's Rachelle Starreveld and Valentina Rodas in an 8-1 match. The CU duo will play the eighth-ranked Utah team of Kaila Barksdale and Marcela Lopez tomorrow with a chance at the quarterfinals.
 
Ellen Puzak and Betina Tokac defeated the 16-seed Wyoming pair of Maria Oreshkina and Noesjka Brink with a score of 8-3. They will continue with the round of 16 on Friday and will face off against Britt Pursell and Taylor Melville of DU who are ranked sixth in doubles.
 
The Buffs pair of Antonia Balzert and Aya El Sayed, ranked 12th in doubles, were eliminated in a close 8-5 match by Lisa Kung and Monique Burton of Utah State.
 
Colorado had four members participate in Flight A singles today and three of those women moved on to the round of 16.
 
El Sayed was the first to move on to the next round in a tight three-set victory over DU's Claudia de Velasco 6-3, 3-6, 6-4. Shortly after, Denver struck back when Caroline Driscoll defeated CU's Tokac in back-to-back 6-4 sets.
 
The next Buff to compete was 3-seed Balzert who handled Mariana Campino of Nevada with a score of 6-3, 6-0. The last Colorado woman to play in the Flight A round of 32 singles was Ventura. She advanced to the round of 16 after winning 6-1, 6-3 over Wyoming's Sophie Zehender.
 
After getting to the round of 16, only one CU player made it to the Flight A singles quarterfinals and that was third-ranked Balzert. She downed Weber State's Ana Morett 6-3, 7-5 and will face off against the 12-seed out of DU, Pursell who won in three sets in the round. Balzert is the last Buff remaining in the Flight A singles tournament.
 
Colorado State singles won two matches over Colorado to move on to the quarterfinals here Thursday. Sarka Richterova defeated El Sayed in the round of 16 with a score of 6-1, 7-6. CU suffered another loss when Ventura was taken down by 2-seed, Radka Buzkova in a tough 6-2, 2-6, 6-0 match.
 
Day three of the ITA Mountain Regional Championships will start early tomorrow with the round of 16 and quarterfinals for the doubles tournament Those events will be followed by the quarterfinals for singles as well as added matches.
 
The Buffs have two duos competing in round of 16 doubles tomorrow before Balzert tries to reach the semifinals in the Flight A singles tournament.
 
RESULTS
Doubles Tournament
Round of 64
(12) Antonia Balzert/Aya El Sayed (CU) def. Felicia Jayasaputra/JJ Chen (MSU) 8-3
Ellen Puzak/Betina Tokac (CU) def. Adithi Venkata Krishnan/Cirkeline Lundberg (UTU) 8-1
(13) Mila Stanojevic/Elys Ventura (CU) BYE
 
ROUND OF 32
Ellen Puzak/Betina Tokac (CU) def. (16) Maria Oreshkina/Noesjka Brink (WYO) 8-3
(13) Mila Stanojevic/Elys Ventura (CU) def. Rachelle Starreveld/Valentina Rodas (IDAHO) 8-1
Lisa Kung/Monique Burton (USU) def. (12) Antonia Balzert/Aya El Sayed (CU) 8-5
 
Singles Tournament
Flight A
Round of 64
(3) Antonia Balzert (CU) def. Kayleigh Yun-Thayer (AF) 7-6, 7-5
(10) Aya El Sayed (CU) def. Megan Lombardi (WSU) 6-4, 7-5
Betina Tokac (CU) def. (8) Yujia Hang (BYU) 6-0, 6-3
Elys Ventura (CU) def. Joana Baptista (BSU) 6-4, 1-6, 6-4
Emily Dush (CSU) def. Mila Stanojevic (CU) 5-7, 6-3, 7-5
 
Round of 32
(3) Antonia Balzert (CU) def. Mariana Campino (UNR) 6-3, 6-0
(10) Aya El Sayed (CU) def. Claudia de Velasco (DU) 6-3, 3-6, 6-4
Elys Ventura (CU) def. (15) Sophie Zehender (WYO) 6-1, 6-3
Caroline Driscoll (CSU) def. Betina Tokac (CU) 6-4, 6-4
 
Round of 16
(3) Antonia Balzert (CU) def. Ana Morett (WSU) 6-3, 7-5
Sarka Richterova (CSU) def. (10) Aya El Sayed (CU) 6-1, 7-6
(2) Radka Buzkova (CSU) def. Elys Ventura (CU) 6-2, 2-6, 6-0
 
Flight B
Round of 64
Sarah Weekley (CSU) def. Anya Nelson (CU) 6-2, 6-3
Aura Fang (UNLV) def. Ellen Puzak (CU) 6-2, 6-1