Spring Break
Bartz earns MWC Player of the Week
Jeremy Scurlock
The CSU tennis squad failed to bring the team winning percentage above the .500 mark (3-3) by falling to the Tulsa University Hurricanes 5-2 on Sunday.
The Hurricanes came in to this weekend's action No. 25 in the NCAA poll, the highest ranked team the Rams have faced this season.
"We had a chance to win the match if a few players had performed a little better," Messick said. "In a match against a highly ranked team, like (TU), it can be intimidating and easy to feel like there is little or no chance for victory. This was not the case this week, [the team] knows now that they can play with top 25 teams."
The Rams' only two match victories against the Hurricanes went to Bobbe Vassos in the No. 5 spot and Amanda Bartz in the No. 3, giving both ladies their fourth consecutive victory in a row.
Bartz, a junior at CSU, was last week's Mountain West Conference tennis player of the week. Last week Bartz went 3-0 in the No. 3 spot against the University of Nebraska at Lincoln Cornhuskers, the Omaha Creighton Blue Jays and the Wichita State Shockers. Bartz, a graduate of Palmer High School in Colorado Springs, also added a match victory in doubles play with partner Kellie Clark.
"It was a real honor (to be named player of the week), I had no idea I was even nominated," Bartz said. "I just go out (on the court) and do my best. Winning matches make me feel lucky, especially against the bigger schools."
Messick called Bartz the hardest working player on the team. She was the No. 1 player last year, and now she occupies the No. 3 standing. This move is what allowed her the opportunity to be successful. By playing lower, she was able to concentrate more on making her game better and not having to be the best player on the team.
"My confidence dropped, I was having to play against some of the best players in the country," Bartz said. "It's just soaring now that I am able to come away with some victories."
Next week the Rams will face the New Mexico State University Roadrunners at 3 p.m. Saturday at the Miramont Sports Center in Fort Collins.
"We didn't step up this weekend against TU," Messick said. "Next week we'll hopefully pull it together and come away with a win."
