The University of Utah women’s tennis team will compete against Brigham Young University in the first round of the Big 12 Championship tournament at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Florida, on April 15.
This match is significant as it features two in-state rivals meeting again after Utah previously defeated BYU earlier this season. The Utes are seeded No. 8 with a record of 15-8 overall and an 8-5 mark in conference play, while the Cougars enter as the No. 9 seed with an overall record of 18-7 and a conference record of 7-6.
The last time these teams met was on March 7, when Utah secured a win over BYU by taking four straight singles matches to finish with a score of 4-2. In their most recent matches leading up to this tournament, both teams suffered losses: Utah fell to Arizona State while BYU lost to Arizona.
Utah’s roster includes returning seniors Dylan Lolofie, Kaila Barksdale, and Emma Valletta; juniors Sara Akid and Emma Kamper; sophomore Hayley Roberts; and newcomers Emmie Moore, Kamea Medora, Andjelija Markovic, and Hailey Kerker. Head coach Ruth Ann Allen took over leadership this past season after previously coaching at Weber State where she won a Big Sky Championship and earned Coach of the Year honors twice. Allen also spent two decades as an assistant coach at Utah before her recent return.
If Utah wins its opening match against BYU, it will advance to face top-seeded UCF in the quarterfinals scheduled for Thursday.
