LARAMIE, Wyo. (Sept. 22, 2019) – The Wyoming Cowgirl tennis team crowned multiple champions Sunday in the final day of the Wyoming Invite held in Laramie. Oleskandra Balaba was the "B" draw champion at the event while the doubles team of Ida Krause and Clara Mansart won the "A" bracket and Ana Fernandez and Ana Royo took the "B".
"I was really proud of how professional the girls were all weekend," said head coach Dean Clower.
"This team gets better every time we get on the court. In doubles, we continue to develop and the results are beginning to show."
Balaba took her title behind the strength of a 6-3, 7-5 victory over South Dakota's Nanette Nylund. Krause and Mansart won a nail-bitter in their championship bout, defeating Colorado State's Alyssa Grijalva and Priscilla Palermo, 7-6. Krause and Mansart won the tiebreaker 7-5.
In the "B" doubles bracket. Fernandez and Royo continued their dominant weekend and took their crown, 6-2 over the team comprised of Enni Zander of Montana State and Riley Reeves of Colorado State.
It was a strong day in the consolation side of the tournament for the Cowgirls on Sunday as well as four Pokes picked up back draw wins. Ana Fernandez defeated Central Oklahoma's Nikki Boyar, 6-3 and 6-2. Zarah Mughal won 6-2, 6-1 over MSU's JJ Chen while Mansart defeated Varma of USD, 6-0 and 6-2. Maria Oreshkina also picked up a win, as she was leading Adel-Byanu Abidullina of Central Oklahoma 4-3, before Abidullina had to retire due to injury.
On the doubles end of things, Mughal and Oreshkina teamed up for an impressive 6-0 sweep of Corwin and Kotsyuba of CSU.
Mihaela Kaftanova lost her lone singles match of the day, dropping a 6-4 and 6-2 match to Montana State's Linnea Fristam. Kaftanova also teamed with Balaba in doubles, losing 6-2 to the team of Cliffe and Luetschwager.
The Cowgirls will now travel out of the country to Cancun, Mexico for the Iberostar Classic, Sept. 24-29.
"The girls will get a well-deserved day off now Monday before we head to Mexico for another good week of tennis," added Clower.
-WYO-
