Trailblazer Tennis returns to Grand Junction for RMAC Tournament

(FULL BRACKET - RMAC WEBSITE)

For the second consecutive week, the Dixie State women's tennis team travels to Grand Junction, Colorado, to take on Colorado Mesa. However, there is a lot more at stake this time around.

The Trailblazers (11-4) rallied for a 4-3 win over the Mavericks on Saturday in a non-conference matchup. On Friday, the two teams will meet again in the semifinals of the 2019 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament. The match is scheduled for a 1 p.m. start.

Dixie State enters the tournament as the No. 2 seed, while Colorado Mesa enters as the No. 3 seed. The winner of Friday's afternoon match will advance to take on the winner of No. 1 MSU Denver and No. 4 CSU-Pueblo in the championship match on Saturday at 10:30 a.m.

TRAILBLAZERS VS. MAVERICKS TAKE FOUR: Friday's matchup will mark the fourth meeting between Dixie State and Colorado Mesa during the 2018-19 season. The Trailblazers earned a 4-3 win in Grand Junction on October 5, before claiming a 5-2 win in St. George in the official RMAC contest between the teams on February 15. DSU rallied for a 4-3 win in Grand Junction on Saturday in the regular season finale.

FIVE TRAILBLAZERS LAND ALL-RMAC HONORS: Dixie State head coach Eric Pelton has been named RMAC Women's Tennis Coach of the Year, while Isabel Heras has been selected as Co-Freshman of the Year to go with second team All-RMAC honors. Yolena Carlon, Kyra Harames, and Megan Lynch each earned first team All-RMAC honors.

MAKING HISTORY: Dixie State finished the 2018-19 regular season with an 11-4 record and a winning percentage of .733, marking the best winning percentage in the program's 13-year NCAA Division II era. The Trailblazers won nine or more matches just three other times, including a program-best 13 wins (13-9) in the 2013-14 season.

PERFECT IN THE FALL: Dixie State posted a 2-0 record on a weather-shortened trip to Colorado in October. The Trailblazers claimed a 4-3 win over Colorado Mesa on October 5 before cruising past Colorado College for an 8-1 win the following day.

DSU PICKED THIRD IN RMAC PRESEASON POLL: Dixie State was picked to finish third in the 2019 RMAC preseason coaches' poll. The Trailblazers received one first-place vote and a total of six points in the poll, while MSU Denver was tabbed as the preseason favorite with two first-place votes and eight points. Colorado Mesa was picked second with one first-place vote and seven points, while CSU-Pueblo rounded out the poll in the fourth place with three points.

DSU senior Yolena Carlon was named to the Preseason All-RMAC team. Carlon played to a team-best 10-4 singles record during the 2017-18 season, including a 4-2 mark at the No. 1 singles position. She also recorded a perfect 3-0 mark at No. 3 singles and a 1-0 record at No. 4 singles. Additionally, Carlon earned PacWest All-Academic honors last season, posting a 3.74 GPA.

2018-19 ROSTER: Dixie State returns four players from the 2017-18 squad, including senior Yolena Carlon, junior Kyra Harames, and sophomores Taylor Brown and Hattie Erekson.

Carlon logged a team-best 10-4 record in singles play during the 2017-18 season and turned in a 7-10 mark in doubles play. Harames finished the season with a 12-6 record in singles play, while recording a 10-9 mark in doubles play. Brown went 0-2 in singles play and 0-1 in doubles play, while Erekson finished at 1-3 in singles play and 0-3 in doubles play.

Four new players join the team for the 2018-19 season, including sophomore Megan Lynch and freshmen Isabel Heras, Juliana Honczaruk, and Elly Lloyd. Lynch joins the Trailblazers after one season at New Mexico Military Institute. Heras prepped at Marianas High School in Saipan, Honczaruk prepped at Escuela Integral Artistica I-33 in Argentina, and Lloyd prepped at Olympus High School in Holladay, Utah.

COACHING STAFF: Eric Pelton is in his 13th 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 again by two assistants, Jordan Lyden (2nd Season) and Steve Bui (3rd Season).

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Players Mentioned

Taylor Brown: 5' 2"; Sophomore

Yolena Carlon: 5' 0"; Senior

Hattie Erekson: 5' 7"; Sophomore

Kyra Harames: 5' 4"; Junior

Isabel Heras: 5' 8"; Freshman

Elly Lloyd: 5' 5"; Freshman

Megan Lynch: 5' 6"; Sophomore

Juliana Honczaruk: Freshman

Players Mentioned

Taylor Brown
: 5' 2"; Sophomore

Yolena Carlon
: 5' 0"; Senior

Hattie Erekson
: 5' 7"; Sophomore

Kyra Harames
: 5' 4"; Junior

Isabel Heras
: 5' 8"; Freshman

Elly Lloyd
: 5' 5"; Freshman

Megan Lynch
: 5' 6"; Sophomore

Juliana Honczaruk
: Freshman