COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (April 6, 2018) – The Wyoming tennis team (10-6 overall, 2-1 MW) battled to a 4-3 win over the Air Force Falcons (11-4 overall, 0-2 MW) on Friday evening.
 
"This was a great tennis match for both teams," head coach Dean Clower said. "I felt like Air Force was ready to play and so were we. The team was tough as nails from one to six in singles and played extremely structured doubles on all the lines."   
 
In doubles action, Cowgirls went up 1-0 by coming away with two doubles wins. Sophomore Ana Tkachenko and freshman Myiah Scott defeated Carley Hatcliff and Meredith Laskey, 6-3, followed by a 6-4 win by juniors Elisa Koonik and Tessa van Der Ploeg over TJ Fumagalli and Elizabeth Barnickel. Senior Magdalena Stencel and sophomore Milka Genkova were all tied up, 5-5, with Meredith Jones and Ashleigh Harvey but didn't finish.
 
"Elisa (Koonik) came out early in singles and set the tone of how this match was going to be played. Tessa (van Der Ploeg) and Magdalena (Stencel) were absolutely Cowgirl tough and came up with big wins after falling behind."
 
Koonik extended the UW lead to 2-0 with a straight set win, 6-1, 6-0 over Laskey. Air Force won its first point of the day at the number two spot with Barnickel beating Genkova, 6-2, 7-5. van Der Ploeg dropped her first set, 6-3, and fell behind in the second, 4-2. She would rally back to win the set, 7-5, followed up by a 6-2 win in the third set to put UW up 3-1 in the match. At the number one position, Stencel lost a tough first set, 7-6 (8-6), but rallied back by winning the next two sets, 6-1, 6-3, to clinch the match for the Cowgirls. In the final two matches, Scott lost to Hatcliff, 6-4, 6-0, followed by a three-set win, 6-3, 1-6, 6-4, by Harvey over Tkachenko.   
 
UW returns to action on Sunday against the New Mexico Lobos. The match is set 10 a.m. MT in Albuquerque.  
 
Tennis Match Results
Wyoming Cowgirls vs. Air Force
April 6, 2018 Colorado Springs, Colo.
Wyoming Cowgirls 4, Air Force 3
 
Singles competition
1. Magdalena Stencel (WY) def. TJ Fumagalli (AFA), 6-7 (6-8), 6-1, 6-3
2. Elizabeth Barnickel (AFA) def. Milka Genkova (WY), 6-2, 7-5
3. Elisa Koonik (WY) def. Meredith Laskey (AFA), 6-1, 6-0
4. Tessa van Der Ploeg (WY) def. Meredith Jones (AFA), 3-6, 7-5, 6-2
5. Ashleigh Harvey (AFA) def. Ana Tkachenko (WY), 6-3, 1-6, 6-4
6. Carley Hatcliff (AFA) def. Myiah Scott (WY) 6-4, 6-0
 
Doubles competition
1. Tessa van Der Ploeg/Elisa Koonik (WY) def. TJ Fumagalli/Elizabeth Barnickel (AFA), 6-4
2. Milka Genkova/Magdalena Stencel (WY) vs. Meredith Jones/Ashleigh Harvey (AFA), 5-5 unfinished
3. Ana Tkachenko/Myiah Scott (WY) def. Carley Hatcliff/Meredith Laskey (AFA), 6-3