The Colorado Buffaloes tennis team is gearing up for a challenging weekend of conference play after a rollercoaster of performances. Last week, the Buffs split their matches, narrowly losing 4-3 to Kansas State before bouncing back with a solid 4-2 victory over No.
28 Oklahoma State. This win has propelled them to No. 51 in the rankings, their highest position since 2024.
Head coach Anthony Pham expressed optimism, stating, "It was a nice win for us last weekend. And for us, we just want to keep building. Every match we play from here on out will be against a good team in conference."
The Buffs' standout performer, Aya El Sayed, earned the Big 12 Player of the Week honors after a remarkable upset against No. 53 Olivia Lincer, winning in straight sets.
Looking ahead, Colorado faces a tough schedule with No. 20 University of Central Florida on Friday, followed by a match against No.
36 University of Houston in Texas. Their previous encounter with UCF ended in a 4-0 defeat last year, but the Buffs are ready for a rematch.
The Knights boast a strong 10-2 record this season, with a 3-1 mark in conference play. Their only conference loss was to No.
75 Arizona. UCF’s doubles team, Olivia Bergler and Lauren Seye, are ranked No. 80 with a 10-3 record.
Last season, UCF reached the Big 12 Championship finals but fell short against Texas Tech, marking their only conference loss.
Coach Pham acknowledged the challenge ahead: "Central Florida is always a strong program which will be a challenge for us. Houston has a much-improved team, and playing them in Houston will present different challenges and different conditions than what we have here."
The Buffs have a favorable history against Houston, holding a 5-3 series lead. Their last meeting resulted in a 4-1 victory for Colorado.
Houston has turned things around this season, boasting an 11-2 overall record and a 2-2 conference mark. Their losses came against then No.
12 ASU and Arizona. Houston’s doubles team, Sophie Schouten and Chems Doha Zeghlouli, are ranked No.
Coach Pham is excited about the upcoming matches: "This will be a great opportunity for us. I know the team is excited to get on the road and play two good teams."
The Buffs will face UCF at 4 p.m. (MT) on Friday at the USTA National Campus, followed by their match against Houston on Sunday at noon at the Barbara Wallace Winston Tennis Facility.