April 3, 2010

Boulder, Colo. - The Missouri women's tennis team dropped a 5-2 match at 71st-ranked Colorado on Saturday afternoon.

Missouri (5-11, 0-5 Big 12) began the match by dropping the doubles point, though battled to the wire in the No. 2 and No. 3 doubles positions. Ania Anuszkiewicz nd Monica Milewski gained an early advantage with an 8-4 win over juniors Mallory Weber and Kaitlyn Ritchie at No. 1. The Buffs claimed the point at No. 3 when Melisa Esposito and Madie Kern earned a 9-7 victory over freshman Andrea Lewis and senior Kristen Bleakley. Senior Sofia Ayala and sophomore Jamie Mera challenged Michala Hedelund Jensen and and Abbie Probert at No. 2, but Colorado prevailed, taking an 8-7(3) win.

Colorado (8-8, 1-4 Big 12) quickly jumped ahead in singles and won three of the first four contests to clinch the match. Ritchie took the first set over Milewski, the 121st-ranked singles player in the NCAA, 1-6. Ritchie dropped the next two sets at No. 1 and Milewski earned a 1-6, 6-0, 6-1 victory.

Junior Mallory Weber put the Tigers on the board for the day, earning her third Big 12 conference singles win of the season, with a 6-3, 6-0 win over Probert at No. 3.

Esposito brought Colorado within one point of victory with her 6-3, 6-3 win over Mera at No. 2, with Anuszkiewicz clinching the match for the Buffs with a 6-4, 6-3 win over Ayala.

Freshman Andrea Lewis earned her second-straight conference win, with a 7-6 (4), 7-5 win over Colorado's Erin Sanders.

Freshman Maria Christensen took Hedelund Jensen to a third-set super tiebreaker in the final match of the day at No. 4 singles. Taking the early lead, Christensen won the first set, 7-6 (5), dropping the next 6-7 (5), and falling in the final set 1-0 (10).

After a five-match conference road stint, the Tigers will return to action at home next weekend, hosting Kansas on Friday (April 9) and Kansas State on Sunday (April 11). Matches will take place at the Green Tennis Center, beginning at 5 p.m. Friday, and 1 p.m. Sunday.

No. 71 Colorado 5, Missouri 2
CU (8-8, 1-4 Big 12), Mizzou (5-11, 0-5 Big 12)
April 3, Millennium Hotel Harvest House, Boulder, Colo.

1d) Anuszkiewicz/Milewski (CU) def. Weber/Ritchie (Missouri) 8-4
2d) Hedelund Jensen/Probert (CU) def. Ayala/Mera (Missouri) 8-7(3)
3d) Esposito/Madie Kern (CU) def. Lewis/Kristen Bleakley (Missouri) 9-7
Order of Finish: 1, *3, 2

1s) (121) Monica Milewski (CU) def. Kaitlyn Ritchie (Missouri) 1-6, 6-0, 6-1
2s) (110) Melisa Esposito (CU) def. Jamie Mera (Missouri) 6-2, 6-3
3s) Mallory Weber (Missouri) def. Abbie Probert (CU) 6-3, 6-0
4s) Michala Hedelund Jensen (CU) def. Maria Christensen (Missouri) 6-7(5), 7-6(5), 1-0(10)
5s) Ania Anuszkiewicz (CU) def. Sofia Ayala (Missouri) 6-4, 6-3
6s) Andrea Lewis (Missouri) def. Erin Sanders 7-6(4), 7-5
Order of Finish: 1, 3, 2, *5, 6, 4