‘This was a total team win from start to finish’

FORT COLLINS, Colo. – The Wyoming Cowgirl tennis team extended its winning streak to four matches in-a-row Saturday with a hard-fought 4-3 victory over UNLV down in Fort Collins, Colo.

The two teams split the six singles matches, but the Cowgirls were victorious thanks to winning the doubles point.

“This was a total team win from start to finish,” UW head coach Dean Clower said. “In all three doubles matches, we played our style. In singles, it was an all-out fight on every court and we came out on top. I couldn’t be more proud of the effort today.”

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The Cowgirls (10-6, 4-2 MW) earned the doubles point by winning at the No. 2 and No. 3 spots, as the duo of Ana Fernandez and Sophie Zehender won at No. 2, 6-4, while the tandem of Mihaela Kaftanova and Ida Krause won 6-3 at No. 3. With their wins, the two doubles teams improved their records to 11-3 and 10-4, respectively on the season as partners.

On the singles' side of things, Maria Oreshkina got a straight-set victory over UNLV’s Izumi Asano, 6-3 and 6-2. At the No. 5 spot, Lucia Malinak won her fourth-straight match to even her singles’ record at 7-7 as she defeated Same Smith, 6-1 and 6-3. Rounding-out the singles’ wins was Kaftanova at the sixth spot as she rallied to win a three-set thriller, 4-6, 6-1 and 6-3.

With the win, the Cowgirls improve their record to 5-0 on the season in neutral site matches and will look to make it six consecutive neutral court wins Sunday at 1 p.m., as UW will face San Diego State down in Fort Collins.

Wyoming vs. UNLV
4/17/21 at Fort Collins, Colo.

Wyoming 4, UNLV 3
Doubles competition
1. Izumi Asano/En-Pei Huang (UNLV) def. Noesjka Brink/Maria Oreshkina (WYO) 6-3
2. Ana Fernandez/Sophie Zehender (WYO) def. Sam Smith/Connie Li (UNLV) 6-4
3. Mihaela Kaftanova/Ida Krause (WYO) def. Zita Kovacs/Aura Fang (UNLV) 6-3

Singles competition
1. Oreshkina (WYO) def. Asano (UNLV) 6-3, 6-2
2. Kovacs (UNLV) def. Zehender (WYO) 6-3, 7-6
3. Huang (UNLV) def. Fernandez (WYO) 6-4, 6-4
4. Li (UNLV) def. Brink (WYO) 7-6, 6-7, 6-3
5. Lucia Malinak (WYO) def. Smith (UNLV) 6-1, 6-3
6. Kaftanova (WYO) def. Fang (UNLV) 4-6, 6-1, 6-3

* University of Wyoming press release