Saturday, January 25
USAFA, Colo.
9:00 AM MT
Air Force Academy
vs
Montana
Women’s Tennis Hosts Montana and Metro State in Saturday Doubleheader
1/24/2025 8:36:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Head Coach Taylor Hollander recaps strong season start against CU, discusses team prep for doubleheader weekend and beyond
Air Force Women's Tennis, after a thrilling battle with CU to open the 2025 dual season, returns to action on Saturday, hosting Montana and Metro State on Saturday in Cadet East Gym at 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., respectively.
Follow Along:
A court-by-court live stream of Saturday's action will be provided via Playsight; the link can be located on the women's tennis schedule page at goairforcefalcons.com.
Last Time Out:
Despite leaving Cadet Gym with a 4-3 loss last Friday night, the Falcons made their statement, pushing a 2-0 lead early in the contest and picking up first-set wins on three courts in singles play to threaten a team win. Despite the early advantage, Colorado endured, earning wins on singles courts on lines 1-3, before clinching the overall victory on line six.
Air Force started out with a 1-0 lead early on in the match, clinching their first doubles point of the season on lines three and one, in order. Freshman duo Sofia Mavor/Shivaani Selvan struck first, earning a 6-1 victory over CU's Nelson/Bubalo, who were Sweet 16 contenders in this season's fall NCAA Tournament and finished 11-6 last season playing in the Pac 12. Nadia Kojonroj and Arianna Van Houweling, facing Pia Rebec/Lera Alexin on the top doubles court, secured the doubles point on four-straight games to close the set, winning their court 6-1. On line two, Alexis Odom/Maya Michalski were knotted at 4-all with CU's Aya El Sayed/Mila Stanojevic when the Falcons clinched doubles.
The Falcons' fast start was bolstered by a retirement on court four; Freshman Sofia Mavor led Bubalo, 5-3, when Bubalo was forced to abandon the match, leaving the Falcons with a 2-0 advantage, but Colorado's relative experience took over, as the top three courts – each touting a senior or fifth-year player – took control of their respective courts. After Van Houweling fell in straight sets to senior Betina Tokac on court three, Kojonroj and Odom both fell in three-set battles after claiming their first sets against El Sayed/Stanojevic, respectively, giving Colorado a 3-2 lead.
Sophomore Giovanna Sanchirico evened the tally, taking down Alexin in straight sets to earn her first win of the dual season, leaving the match up to newcomer Selvan on court five, sophomore Rebec. Selvan, in the first dual match of her career, battled to a tiebreak in her first set and managed to keep the second close, but ultimately fell in straight sets, as Alexin clinched the 4-3 victory for the Buffs.
Falcons' Fall Outlook:
In open doubles/singles competition this past fall season, Air Force combined for 18 doubles and 40 singles victories across five tournaments, with freshmen Sofia Mavor (6-3), Shivaani Selvan (6-6) and sophomore Giovanna Sanchirico (6-4) each leading the way in wins.
Fall successes for the Falcons were underscored by one of the program's most successful showings in its history at the Bedford Cup in the Mountains (Sept. 13-15), as Air Force picked up a pair of singles bracket titles (Mavor, Nadia Kojonroj), had two singles runners-up (Selvan, Sanchirico) and notched a doubles champion (Mavor, Arianna Van Houweling) in the three-day tournament at Cadet Gym.
Follow Along:
A court-by-court live stream of Saturday's action will be provided via Playsight; the link can be located on the women's tennis schedule page at goairforcefalcons.com.
Last Time Out:
Despite leaving Cadet Gym with a 4-3 loss last Friday night, the Falcons made their statement, pushing a 2-0 lead early in the contest and picking up first-set wins on three courts in singles play to threaten a team win. Despite the early advantage, Colorado endured, earning wins on singles courts on lines 1-3, before clinching the overall victory on line six.
Air Force started out with a 1-0 lead early on in the match, clinching their first doubles point of the season on lines three and one, in order. Freshman duo Sofia Mavor/Shivaani Selvan struck first, earning a 6-1 victory over CU's Nelson/Bubalo, who were Sweet 16 contenders in this season's fall NCAA Tournament and finished 11-6 last season playing in the Pac 12. Nadia Kojonroj and Arianna Van Houweling, facing Pia Rebec/Lera Alexin on the top doubles court, secured the doubles point on four-straight games to close the set, winning their court 6-1. On line two, Alexis Odom/Maya Michalski were knotted at 4-all with CU's Aya El Sayed/Mila Stanojevic when the Falcons clinched doubles.
The Falcons' fast start was bolstered by a retirement on court four; Freshman Sofia Mavor led Bubalo, 5-3, when Bubalo was forced to abandon the match, leaving the Falcons with a 2-0 advantage, but Colorado's relative experience took over, as the top three courts – each touting a senior or fifth-year player – took control of their respective courts. After Van Houweling fell in straight sets to senior Betina Tokac on court three, Kojonroj and Odom both fell in three-set battles after claiming their first sets against El Sayed/Stanojevic, respectively, giving Colorado a 3-2 lead.
Sophomore Giovanna Sanchirico evened the tally, taking down Alexin in straight sets to earn her first win of the dual season, leaving the match up to newcomer Selvan on court five, sophomore Rebec. Selvan, in the first dual match of her career, battled to a tiebreak in her first set and managed to keep the second close, but ultimately fell in straight sets, as Alexin clinched the 4-3 victory for the Buffs.
Falcons' Fall Outlook:
In open doubles/singles competition this past fall season, Air Force combined for 18 doubles and 40 singles victories across five tournaments, with freshmen Sofia Mavor (6-3), Shivaani Selvan (6-6) and sophomore Giovanna Sanchirico (6-4) each leading the way in wins.
Fall successes for the Falcons were underscored by one of the program's most successful showings in its history at the Bedford Cup in the Mountains (Sept. 13-15), as Air Force picked up a pair of singles bracket titles (Mavor, Nadia Kojonroj), had two singles runners-up (Selvan, Sanchirico) and notched a doubles champion (Mavor, Arianna Van Houweling) in the three-day tournament at Cadet Gym.
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
Taylor Hollander Interview - April 29th, 2025
Tuesday, April 29
Women's Tennis Senior Day
Monday, April 28
Women's Tennis Senior Day
Monday, April 28
Taylor Hollander MW Conference Interview - April 24th, 2025
Thursday, April 24
