Colorado Mesa University’s women’s tennis team opened its spring season with a pair of losses to NCAA Division I Idaho State University in Pocatello, Idaho, on Saturday. The Bengals won both team matchups, 6-1 and 7-0, improving their record to 2-4. CMU now stands at 2-3 overall after a fall season that saw them post a 2-1 record against fellow NCAA Division II opponents.
Despite the team results, there was a bright spot for the Mavericks. Senior Jane Steur, returning from a hiatus during the fall season, secured a 7-5, 7-5 victory at No. 6 singles against Evelina Zhuk in the morning match, providing CMU with its sole team point of the day.
The Hastings Broncos are next on the Mavericks’ schedule. CMU will face Hastings, a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) school, on , in Kearney, Nebraska. The match is scheduled for noon local time. Following the match against Hastings, Colorado Mesa will also compete against Northwest Missouri State, another NCAA Division II institution, on the same day. The Mavericks will conclude their weekend on , with a match against the University of Nebraska-Kearney, the host of the weekend’s competition.
The Hastings College Broncos are members of the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC). The GPAC is an athletic conference primarily composed of NAIA institutions located in Nebraska, Iowa, South Dakota, and Wyoming. Hastings College is a private, four-year liberal arts college located in Hastings, Nebraska, with an enrollment of approximately 1,400 students.
The city of Hastings, Nebraska, is located in Adams County, approximately 170 miles west of Omaha. As of 2024 estimates, the city has a population of around 25,000. Hastings serves as a regional hub for agriculture and industry in south-central Nebraska. The city is also home to Central Community College-Hastings, a campus of the state’s community college system.
Notably, , will also see activity in Hastings unrelated to the collegiate tennis match. Students 4 Sustainability at Central Community College-Hastings are scheduled to lead a native seed dispersal event at the Hastings Dog Park on Elm Avenue, south of the Good Samaritan Society – Hastings Village, also at 2 p.m. Local time. This event aims to promote local biodiversity through the introduction of native plant species.
a memorial service for Ron Bathrick, a Hastings resident who passed away on , is scheduled for , at 2 p.m. At the Starkson Family Life Celebration Chapel on Vermillion Street. A visitation will be held one hour prior to the service, and a Celebration of Life will follow at the 2nd Street Depot Bar, and Grill. Bathrick, 78, is survived by his daughters, grandsons, sister, stepchildren, and former spouses.
Back on the tennis court, freshman Valentina Gonzalez and Sophie Hartman came closest to securing a victory for Colorado Mesa in doubles play. The duo battled to a tiebreaker in their No. 3 doubles match against Victoria Grymalska and Zhuk, ultimately falling short with a 7-6 (9-7) defeat. The Bengals’ strong performance in doubles play contributed significantly to their overall success in both matches.
The Mavericks will continue to compete indoors next weekend in Kearney, Nebraska, seeking to build momentum as they navigate their spring season schedule. The matches against Hastings and Northwest Missouri State will provide valuable opportunities for CMU to assess its progress and refine its strategies before facing Nebraska-Kearney.
