Utah Tech women’s tennis will open a four-match homestand at the Trailblazer Tennis Courts this weekend, starting with matches against Montana on Friday, Mar. 27, and Tarleton State on Saturday, Mar. 28.
The upcoming matches are significant as they include Utah Tech’s final Western Athletic Conference (WAC) opener before the team transitions to the Big Sky Conference in July. The Trailblazers will face a future conference opponent in Montana and begin their last WAC campaign against Tarleton State.
Montana enters Friday’s match on a six-game losing streak after recent losses in Portland. The Grizzlies are led by junior Kelsey Phillips in singles play and by head coach Steve Ascher, who is now in his eighteenth season. On Saturday, before Utah Tech plays Tarleton State, Montana and Tarleton State will compete in a neutral-site match at the same venue.
Tarleton State comes into conference play following three consecutive wins, including a decisive victory over Hillsdale College. Freshman Aya Ishii leads the Texans with an 11-2 singles record. Head coach Elianne Douglas-Miron is currently serving her seventh year with the program.
The Trailblazers recently secured three shutout wins during an Arizona road trip without dropping a set and improved their away record to 5-1 for the season. Utah Tech returns seven letter winners from last year’s team, including sophomore Maya Inouye—the first-ever All-WAC singles honoree for UT—who set a new single-season win record during her freshman year.
Head coach Eric Pelton marks his twentieth season leading Utah Tech women’s tennis this year, having mentored ten all-conference selections throughout his tenure.
Looking ahead, Utah Tech will conclude its home schedule with a doubleheader against Colorado Mesa on April 10 and honor two seniors between matches.
