Women’s Tennis heads to Colorado for CMU Maverick Duals

Trailblazers play four matches in three days

Dixie State women's tennis travels to Grand Junction, Colorado, this week for the Colorado Mesa Maverick Duals from Thursday to Saturday. The event marks the Trailblazers first dual matches of the 2017-18 season.

The Trailblazers will play four matches in three days, beginning with a 6 p.m. Thursday evening matchup with host Colorado Mesa. DSU will play two matches on Friday, taking on Colorado Christian at 8 a.m., and Metro State-Denver at 1:30 p.m. The Trailblazers wrap up their four-match trip on Saturday in an 8 a.m. match with Colorado State-Pueblo.

LAST TIME OUT: Four Trailblazers competed in last week's ITA West Regional Championships, including juniors Lacey Hancock (St. George, Utah/Pine View) and Yolena Carlon (Phoenix, Ariz./Desert Vista), sophomore Kyra Harames (Spokane, Wash./Central Valley), and freshman Sabrina Longson (Salt Lake City, Utah/Olympus). Hancock earned the lone DSU win of the weekend, defeating Luciana Di Laura (Cal State LA), 6-7, 6-3, 13-11 on Thursday.

2016 COLORADO SWEEP: The Trailblazers opened the 2016-17 season with four wins in Colorado last October, marking the program's best start in dual match play in the NCAA Division II era. Dixie State opened the weekend with a 6-3 win over Colorado Mesa before earning wins over Colorado Christian (7-2) and Metro State-Denver (6-3) on day two. The Trailblazers closed the weekend with a 9-0 sweep of CSU-Pueblo on day three. Two DSU players recorded perfect starts in singles play, led by Hancock, who played to a 3-0 record at No. 1 singles and 1-0 at No. 3 singles. Harames played to 3-0 at No. 5 singles and 1-0 at No. 4 singles.

Laura Hartle (Salt Lake City, Utah/East HS) and Maria Kana Goldsmith (Honolulu, Hawaii/Myron B. Thompson Academy) swept through their doubles matches in Colorado, rolling to a 4-0 record at No. 3 doubles.

2017-18 ROSTER: Dixie State returns five players from the 2016-17 squad, including sophomore sisters Frances Hina Goldsmith (Honolulu, Hawaii/Myron B. Thompson Academy) and Maria Kana Goldsmith (Honolulu, Hawaii/Myron B. Thompson Academy), junior Lacey Hancock (St. George, Utah/Pine View), sophomore Kyra Harames (Spokane, Wash./Central Valley), and senior Kaylee Milligan (Silver City, N.M./Silver). The Trailblazers look to build on last year's 9-8 record, which marked the first winning season since the 2013-14 campaign.

Hina Goldsmith logged a team-best 10-6 record in singles play during the 2016-17 season and turned in a 7-10 record in doubles play. Harames finished the season with an 8-7 record in singles play, while recording a 7-10 mark in doubles play. Hancock went 7-7 in singles play and 6-9 in doubles play. Milligan recorded a 5-6 record in singles play and a 3-7 mark in doubles play. Kana Goldsmith finished with a 4-13 record in singles play and a 9-7 mark in doubles play.

Five new players join the squad for the 2017-18 season, including juniors McKelle Burnett (Centerville, Utah/Viewmont) and Yolena Carlon (Phoenix, Ariz./Desert Vista), and freshmen Taylor Brown (Lubbock, Texas/Frenship ), Hattie Erekson (St. George, Utah/Pine View), and Sabrina Longson (Salt Lake City, Utah/Olympus).

Burnett joins the team after time at BYU-Hawaii and Idaho State, while Carlon comes to DSU after two seasons at Mesa Community College. Brown prepped at Frenship High School in Wolfforth, Texas, Erekson prepped at Pine View High School in St. George, and Longson prepped at Olympus High School in Holladay, Utah.

COACHING STAFF: Eric Pelton begins his 12th season as the DSU women's tennis head coach. Pelton has been with the program since the sport was added for the 2006-07 season. Pelton is joined by two assistants, Jordan Lyden and Steve Bui, for the 2017-18 season.

NEXT UP: Dixie State will resume the 2017-18 season in February.

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Players Mentioned

Laura Hartle: 5' 5"; Senior

Taylor Brown: 5' 2"; Freshman

Yolena Carlon: 5' 0"; Junior

Hattie Erekson: 5' 7"; Freshman

Frances Hina Goldsmith: 5' 6"; Sophomore

Maria Kana Goldsmith: 5' 8"; Sophomore

Lacey Hancock: 5' 5"; Junior

Kyra Harames: 5' 4"; Sophomore

Sabrina Longson: 5' 8"; Freshman

McKelle Burnett: 5' 4"; Junior

Players Mentioned

Laura Hartle
: 5' 5"; Senior

Taylor Brown
: 5' 2"; Freshman

Yolena Carlon
: 5' 0"; Junior

Hattie Erekson
: 5' 7"; Freshman

Frances Hina Goldsmith
: 5' 6"; Sophomore

Maria Kana Goldsmith
: 5' 8"; Sophomore

Lacey Hancock
: 5' 5"; Junior

Kyra Harames
: 5' 4"; Sophomore

Sabrina Longson
: 5' 8"; Freshman

McKelle Burnett
: 5' 4"; Junior