BOULDER - The University of Colorado women's tennis team will begin the 2010 spring season hosting the United States Air Force Academy, Saturday, Jan. 16 at the Millennium Hotel Harvest House. First serve begins with doubles at 11 a.m., followed by the singles competition.
Saturday's match is also the season opener for the Falcons
Admission and parking are free and open to the public.
The Buffaloes will begin the spring campaign as the No. 60th nationally ranked school according to the Campbell/ITA College Tennis Rankings. There are 75 schools ranked in the poll and the poll will be released every week beginning Jan. 26.
The CU women will host 10 matches during the spring. Overall, there are 22 matches on the slate with 14 opponents ranked in the preseason poll. The Buffs will look to remain perfect against Air Force having won all 10 previous meetings. CU defeated AFA in Colorado Springs last year, 5-2.
Colorado is also represented in the January pre-season top-125 singles and top-60 doubles rankings. Seniors Melisa Esposito and Monica Milewski are the No. 64 and No. 90 ranked singles players, respectively. In doubles, Milewski and sophomore Michala Hedelund Jensen are No. 44.
The Buffaloes finished the 2009 spring season with a 12-11 record and No. 57 national ranking. Eleven-year head coach Nicole Kenneally returns eight letterwinners and has guided the Buffs to a trio of top four Big 12 Conference finishes over the last three years. She also returns three seniors (Esposito, Milewski, Camila Belassi).
The 2010 season may also take a dramatic change in the record book by season's end, as all three seniors are ranked somewhere in the top-25 all-time singles and doubles wins lists.
Milewski enters her final season as one the winningest tennis players in school history. She enters the spring tied for third in doubles victories (66) and 10th all-time in singles triumphs (75). Esposito is sixth in doubles tallies with 64 wins; while Belassi is 24th with 54 victories.
In singles, Esposito is 20th in singles wins (68) and Belassi stands in 24th place with 60 victories.
The Buffs will host nine other matches in 2010 with No. 22 Vanderbilt (Jan. 23), No. 49 Denver (Feb. 20), Northern Colorado (Mar. 6), and No. 17 South Carolina (Mar. 20) all at the Harvest House.
Outside matches at the South Campus courts include conference foes Missouri (Apr. 3), Kansas State (Apr. 9), Kansas (Apr. 11), No. 37 Texas A&M (Apr. 23) and No. 31 Texas (Apr. 25).
