FORT COLLINS – After splitting a pair of duals on the opening weekend, Colorado State’s women’s tennis team will return home for a single date with Abilene Christian on Friday afternoon at the Fort Collins Country Club.
 
The match is slated for 4 p.m.; there is a live stream and live scoring available.
 
The Rams opened the season last Saturday with a 5-2 win over North Dakota at the country club, then dropped a 4-0 decision to Denver on the road ono Sunday. Abilene Christian enters the weekend with an 0-2 mark but will play at Air Force on Thursday. This will be the third meeting between the programs, with the Rams having won both prior meetings.
 
“Overall, the opening weekend showed us how much we enjoy being back and competing as a team.  Competition helps us see what we are capable of and also reveals what we need to improve on,” CSU coach Mai-Ly Tran. “We did a great job on our first home match playing through nerves and beating a solid team.  Our team was not satisfied with the outcome of our second match, and it only drives us more to be ready for the next opportunity.”
 
The Rams have 11 nonconference matches on the schedule to lead them into Mountain West play, which begins March 15 on the road at Air Force. This will be the second of six scheduled home dates in the leadup to conference, and Tran wants her team to use each as a steppingstone forward toward the ultimate goal. On the line, the Rams are currently riding a program-record 13-match home win streak.
 
“Our focus for the month of January is to learn from each match and apply those things to practice and upcoming matches,” she said. “It is early in season and it’s important for us to keep our focus on getting better each day to build up to conference season.” 
 
Top 10 Watch
Career Singles Wins
8. Alyssa Grijalva, 56
    Dasha Zhurin, 56
    Bobbe Vasos, 56
Closing in:Radka Buzkova, 54
 
Career Doubles Wins
4. Alyssa Grijalva, 58
    Catherine Sullivan-Sauvageau, 58
6. Allison Lisle, 56
7. Radka Buzkova, 53
    Alana Colglazer, 53
9. Laura Neal, 49
    Alexandra Paganetti, 49
Closing in: Sarka Richterova,  44