The University of Utah women’s tennis team will play against Texas Tech on March 19 and Colorado on March 21 in Big 12 conference matches, according to a March 16 announcement. The Utes are coming off home victories over West Virginia and Cincinnati.
These upcoming matches are important as the Utes look to improve their standing in the Big 12. Utah currently holds a 10-5 overall record and is ranked No. 42 in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association polls.
Utah will first face No. 30 Texas Tech at the McLeod Tennis Center in Lubbock, Texas. The Lady Raiders, coached by Adam Herendeen, recently lost to UCF but feature a top-100 doubles pairing with Yekaterina Dmitrichenko and Hailey Murphy, who are on a three-match win streak. Two days later, Utah will travel to Boulder to play No. 51 Colorado at the Meadows Club. The Buffaloes, led by Anthony Pham, have a record of 10-6 and recently lost to Houston but saw their doubles team of Ema Bubalo and Anya Nelson achieve their 36th win together.
The Utes’ roster includes returning seniors Dylan Lolofie, Kaila Barksdale, and Emma Valletta; juniors Sara Akid and Emma Kamper; sophomore Hayley Roberts; transfers Emmie Moore and Kamea Medora; and freshmen Andjelija Markovic and Hailey Kerker. In their last match against Cincinnati, Utah secured singles wins from Kamper, Valletta, Moore, and Akid after dropping the doubles point.
This season marks Ruth Ann Allen’s first as head coach for Utah women’s tennis. Allen is a Utah native who previously led Weber State to a Big Sky Championship in 2023 and was twice named Big Sky Coach of the Year. She also spent two decades as an assistant coach at Utah before her Hall of Fame induction last year.
After these road games, Utah will return home for matches against Oklahoma State on March 26 and Kansas State on March 28 before traveling again for contests against TCU and Baylor in early April.
