The University of Denver women’s tennis team had a good start to their spring 2022 campaign.

The squad kicked off their quest to win their eighth Summit League title in a row under sunny Los Angeles skies on the UCLA campus. Denver was one of four teams competing in the ITA Kickoff Weekend. The Crimson and Gold’s first opponent was a loaded and undefeated Washington Huskies squad who, on paper, should have had no trouble defeating DU.

College tennis is a best of seven points format, starting with doubles, then six singles matches. Things started grim very early as Denver found themselves with their backs against the wall, 3-0. A Huskies victory seemed inevitable.

However, no one told DU that they were supposed to be swept. 

Graduate student Camille Verden-Anderson (Epsom, England)  won 7-5, 7-5, before being joined by senior Tatum Burger (6-3, 2-6, 6-4) and fellow graduate student Anna Riedmiller (7-5, 2-6. 6-2) in the winner’s circle. 

With DU on the cusp of a big upset, it all came down to freshman Andrea Burguete (Burriana, Spain), playing in her first team college match. 

After losing the first set, the Burriana native took the second set to snag a 4-2 lead in the final set against the Huskies’ Hiraku Sato (Tokyo, Japan). It was not meant to be, however, as Sato rattled off the next four games, giving UW a narrow escape route.  

“I love the feeling”

Burguete was disappointed after the match but excited for the road ahead. I asked how she felt to end up the decider in her first-ever college matchup, considering just months ago she was going to high school in Spain. “I could not believe it,” the 6 ‘1’’ Spaniard with the big wingspan said. “It’s just amazing; I love the feeling; it’s just great.”

Asked what she would have done differently she admitted, “I missed a few balls, there was a bit of pressure, [I felt nervous at times], I would have played less volleys.” 

To put Denver’s accomplishment in perspective,  Washington ended up upsetting a  No. 4 UCLA on Saturday despite home-court advantage. The Huskies came in at No. 16 when the latest rankings were released on Tuesday.

First win for new coaching staff

Denver ended up playing Saturday in the consolation match against the  California Polytechnic State Mustangs (Cal Poly). They had a much easier time with the Mustangs, taking home a 4-2 victory and allowing them to leave Westwood with a 1-1 record.

The win was the first for new Head Coach Paul Wardlaw, as well as Assistant Coach Maureen Slattery, who in 2017 became one of the first two DU All-Americans of the school’s Division I tenure.

After seeing how they played in Los Angeles, the alumna Slattery is expecting big things in her first season as a D1 coach. “We are so proud of the way we competed,” she said. “As we sharpen our skills throughout the season, we’re excited to see what we can accomplish.”