The Colorado State University tennis team walked the line between victory and defeat all weekend before losing both matches by the skin of their teeth.

The Rams started off the weekend with the tough San Diego State University squad. CSU entered the matchup ranked No. 61, while the Aztecs entered above them at No. 53. However, Colorado State wasn’t intimidated early, taking the doubles portion, which is worth 1 point overall for the team match. 

Sarka Richterova and Viktoryia Zhadzinskaya got the Rams off to a fast start, winning their match 6-3. This No. 3 doubles duo has been unstoppable all season, as they haven’t lost in their last five doubles matches together.

The doubles matches are each one set, and to win a set, you must win six games first. However, you must win by two games, and if each team wins six games, a 7-point tiebreaker is used to decide the match, but you must also win the tiebreaker by two.

The tiebreaker would be necessary for the next two matches, as the other two doubles tied at six games apiece. In the No. 2 doubles, Zara Lennon and Ky Ecton battled to the end but lost the tiebreaker 8-6 after a grueling battle. It all came down to the tiebreak in the No. 1 doubles for CSU’s Radka Buzkova and Emily Dush. With all eyes turned to their court, Buzkova and Dush pulled through with a 7-3 tiebreaker to give the Rams an early 1-0.

The teams advanced to the singles portion, which has the same rules as before, but instead of one set, it is moved to a best-of-3 system. But that good fortune didn’t carry over, as the Aztecs went 4-1 in singles to grab the match win.  The sole Ram victory came from Lennon in the No. 2 singles. After losing the first set 6-1, Lennon battled back to steal away the win with 6-4, 6-2 wins in the last two sets.

After the tough loss, Colorado State attempted to get back to its winning ways against the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

The doubles portion wasn’t as smooth on the second day, as the Rams were swept by UNLV to fall into an early 1-0 hole. The Rebels stretched their lead to 2-0 after a two-set sweep in the No. 4 doubles slot. Colorado State charged back with three straight singles wins. Buzkova swept the No. 1 singles 6-4, 7-6 in a highly competitive matchup. Lennon improved her singles winning streak to four after a 6-1 in the first set, a 7-5 loss in the second set but a 6-4 victory in the third set of the No. 2 singles slot.

In the final of the top three seeds, Richterova started slow after dropping the first set 6-3. But the senior stayed focused, bouncing back with a 6-3 win in the second set. However, a comeback attempt looked dire as Richterova trailed for almost the entire third set, including facing several match points. Ultimately, the Czech Republic native pulled through, forcing a tiebreaker and then going on to win 8-6 after a battle of attrition. UNLV bounced back with wins in both the No. 6 and 5 singles, narrowly defeating the Rams 4-3. 

Mountain West Conference play has brought plenty of close matches for the Rams as they continue to adjust to tougher competition. Colorado State (13-6, 2-4 MW) looks to bounce back as they continue conference play when they travel to Idaho to play Utah State University April 15 and Boise State University April 16. 

Reach Dylan Heinrich at sports@collegian.com or on Twitter @dylanrheinrich.