Air Force Academy
Colorado State
Falcons Fall to CSU, 4-2, at MWC Championships
4/25/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
April 25, 2007
The Colorado State Rams used a dramatic doubles victory to propel them to a 4-2 victory over Air Force in the first round of the 2007 Mountain West Conference Women's Tennis Championships Wednesday at the Academy. The eighth-seeded Rams (10-11) advance to the quarterfinals to meet top-seeded BYU on Thursday, April 26 at 2 p.m. (MT). Air Force, meanwhile, finished its season with a 10-16 record.
CSU jumped out to an early 1-0 lead by winning two of the three doubles matches. The Rams' No. 1 team of Emily Kirchem and Hilary Tyler led things off with an 8-4 victory over Kelly Morgan and Karissa Walker. The Falcons battled back with an 8-6 win at the No. 2 spot by Christine Abayan and Erlyn Rudico over Anette Pohjalainen and Lauren Strasberger, setting up the decisive match at No. 3. Laura Neal and Sarah Seltsam clinched the doubles point for CSU by saving a match point in the tiebreaker and downing Meghan Kiser and Erika Shortridge, 9-8. The Ram duo won the tiebreaker, 8-6.
In singles play, AFA's Kiser evened the team match at 1-all with a 6-0, 6-4 victory over Pohjalainen at the No. 4 position. However, Colorado State won the next two matches to take a 3-1 lead. Kirchem improved to 15-13 overall and 8-9 at the No. 1 position with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Abayan at the top spot for a 2-1 lead, then Strasberger posted a 6-4, 6-4 victory at No. 2 singles over Lauren Wilson.
Rudico kept the Falcons alive by winning the No. 6 match, 6-0, 6-4 over Rui Xu, but Tyler clinched the team match for the Rams with a come-from-behind, 6-7, 7-5, 6-0 victory over Walker at the No. 3 spot. The No. 5 match between CSU's Greer Satherlie and Morgan did not finish.
No. 8 Colorado State 4, No. 9 Air Force 2
First Round - 2007 MWC Championships
Wednesday, April 25, 2007 @ Air Force Academy
Singles
1. Emily Kirchem (CSU) def. Christine Abayan, 6-2, 6-2
2. Lauren Strasberger (CSU) def. Lauren Wilson, 6-4, 6-4
3. Hilary Tyler (CSU) def. Karissa Walker, 6-7(8), 7-5, 6-0
4. Meghan Kiser (AFA) def. Anette Pohjalainen, 6-0, 6-4
5. Greer Satherlie (CSU) vs. Kelly Morgan, 3-6, 6-2, 5-2 (DNF)
6. Erlyn Rudico (AFA) def. Rui Xu, 6-0, 6-4
Doubles
1. Kirchem/Tyler (CSU) def. Morgan/Walker, 8-4
2. Abayan/Rudico (AFA) def. Pohjalainen/Strasberger, 8-6
3. Neal/Sarah Seltsam (CSU) def. Kiser/Erika Shortridge, 9-8(6)
