PUEBLO, Colo. – Colorado State University Pueblo women's tennis opened its spring schedule here Saturday afternoon with a hard-fought 4-3 setback to Fort Hays State at the Pueblo City Park Tennis Courts. The score was the same score the two teams recording in their meeting during the fall portion of the season.
 
With the setback, the ThunderWolves fall to 0-6 on the season, while Fort Hays State improved to 5-2 on the year.
 
Saturday's match marked the head coaching debut of Chris Roman, who was named the Pack's head tennis coach in January after serving as an assistant coach during the fall season.
 
In Saturday's match, the two teams opened by playing doubles. The Pack won one of the three matches that were contested, but Fort Hays State won the other two doubles matches to earn the doubles point.
 
The Pack's win in doubles came at the No. 1 spot as sophomore Margot Aebischer (Etupes, France/Eastern Arizona College) and freshman Mariangel Nunez (Weston, Fla./Unidad Educativa Padre Claret) collected a 6-2 win over FHSU's team of Fiorella Mendez and Yone Pereiro.
 
FHSU, though, won win the at No. 2 doubles, 6-0 and at No. 3 doubles, 6-1.
 
Following the completion of doubles action, the teams turned their focus to singles play and the Pack would win three of the six singles matches, but FHSU also won three matches to earn the match victory.
 
The Pack's first win in singles came at the No. 1 spot as junior Valentina Brienza (Rionero in Vulture, Italy/University of the District of Columbia) defeated FHSU's Irina Alfonso, 6-3, 6-1.
 
Aebischer would give the Pack a second win in singles as she defeated Ines Latorre at the No. 2 spot. Latorre won the first set, 6-4, but was trailing 3-0 in the second set before retiring.
 
The third win in singles came from Nunez at the No. 3 spot as she won 6-1, 6-2 over Pereiro.
 
FHSU won the next three singles matches at No. 4, No. 5, and No. 6 as the won a total of two games over those three matches as junior Malaya Pendon (Pueblo, Colo./Pueblo East) fell 6-1, 6-0 at No. 4 singles to Grace Unruh, while freshman Yelena Travica (Winnipeg, Manitoba/Maples Collegiate) fell 6-1, 6-0 to Bethan Gill at the No. 5 spot.
 
FHSU's final singles win came at the No. 6 spot as Mendez blanked senior Sonrisa Bustamante (Pueblo, Colo./Pueblo Central), 6-0, 6-0.
 
The Pack will continue its spring season on Sunday, March 24 as they play a 9 a.m. match in Liberal, Kan., against Seward County Community College that begins a four-game match trip that will feature three other matches played in Texas.

Fort Hays State 4, CSU Pueblo 3 
at Pueblo City Park Tennis Center (Pueblo, Colo.)
Singles Competition
No. 1 – Valentina Brienza (CSUP) def. Irina Alfonso (FHSU), 6-3, 6-1
No. 2 – Margot Aebischer (CSUP) def. Ines Latorre (FHSU), 4-6, 3-0, retired
No. 3 – Mariangel Nunez (CSUP) def. Yone Pereiro (FHSU), 6-1, 6-2
No. 4 – Grace Unruh (FHSU) def. Malaya Pendon (CSU), 6-1, 6-0 
No. 5 – Bethan Gill (FHSU) def. Yelena Travica (CSUP), 6-1, 6-0
No. 6 – Fiorella Mendez (FHSU) def. Sonrisa Bustamante (CSUP), 6-0, 6-0
 
Doubles Competition
No. 1 – Aebischer/Nunez (CSUP) def. Mendez/Pereiro (FHSU), 6-2
No. 2 – Alfonso/Latorre (FHSU) def. Travica/Bustamante (CSUP), 6-0
No. 3 – Unruh/Gill def. Pendon/Brienza (CSUP), 6-1

Match Notes:
CSU Pueblo: 0-6
Fort Hays State: 5-2