Houston Chems Doha Zeghlouli celebrates after scoring a point during the NCAA singles tennis match against CU on Sunday, March 15, 2026 in Houston. | Payton Gaskill/The Cougar
The Houston Cougars took on the Colorado Buffaloes on March 15 at the Barbara Wallace Winston Tennis Facility. The Cougars entered the battle with sheer power to take the win at home after three consecutive losses in conference. The Cougars outplayed the Buffaloes 4-0, making the Cougars 3-3 in conference play.
The sunny Houston day was accompanied by windy conditions on the court, setting the players up for a new challenge.
All courts started with balanced matches as players were winning their service games. Colorado took the first doubles win of the day against Houston juniors Petja Drame and Elizaveta Morozova with a score of 6-4.
However, Houston seniors Chems Doha Zeghlouli and Sophie Schouten challenged Colorado with consistency. Zeghlouli and Schouten responded with a 7-5 win.
All eyes were left on the final doubles match. Houston juniors Iva Sepa and Valeriia Krokhotina challenged Colorado senior Rixt Van Der Werff and sophomore Lera Alexin to a tie 5-5. Eventually, Sepa and Krokhotina won two consecutive games for the 7-5 win for the Cougars.
The doubles round ended with the Cougars in the lead 1-0.
Singles Match Recaps:
Houston wrapped up the singles round undeniably quickly.
Krokhotina won the first set 6-0 against Colorado Junior Ema Bubalo. In the second set, Colorado gained confidence for four games but Krokhotina stopped that momentum before the end. The Houston Cougar won the first singles match of the day 6-0, 6-4.
Morozova followed with a 6-2 first set. The Houston Cougar went to play with aggressive tactics and consistent footwork for the second Cougar singles win 6-2, 6-3.
The last win was taken by Schouten, who fought a hard first set tie break 7-5. Schoutens’ tiebreak momentum carried into the second set for a 7-5, 6-4 win.
This match concluded the day with a third consecutive singles win and the final court point that led the Cougars to victory.
Final set summaries:
In the doubles round, Colorado senior Anya Nelson and Bubalo outplayed Drame and Morozova 6-4. Zeghlouli and Schouten defeated Colorado graduate Aya El Sayed and junior Pia Rebec 7-5. Following that win, Sepa and Krokhotina bested Buffaloes Werff and Alexin 7-5.
In the singles round, Krokhotina swept Bubalo 6-0, 6-4. Morozova also won their sets against Sayed 6-2, 6-3. The final win went to Schouten against Colorado freshman Heidi Crncan 7-5, 6-4. Sepa, Drame, and Zeghlouli led their matches but were unfinished due to the Cougars reaching their four points needed to win the day.
With this win, the Cougars plan to revive their momentum on the road. The Cougars will clash against the Kansas Jayhawks on March 20 at the Jayhawk Tennis Center.
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