Who | Utah Tech (6-12, 0-2 WAC) at UT Dallas (4-7, 0-0 American Southwest)
When | Tuesday, April 15 - 2 PM (MT) 
Where | UTD Tennis Complex - Richardson, Texas
Social Media | Instagram + Twitter (X)

Utah Tech finishes its regular season on Tuesday in the Metroplex with a road contest at UT Dallas. The match will serve as a solid test before the Trailblazers compete in the WAC Championships Thursday-Saturday, April 17-19, in Arlington, Texas. 

A GLANCE AT UT DALLAS
The Comets host the Trailblazers after claiming a 5-2 win over Howard Payne on Saturday. UTD also holds wins over St. Thomas (Texas) (4-0), East Texas Baptist (4-2) and LeTourneau (7-0) this season. The Comets are currently transitioning from Division III to Division II. UTD will officially join the Lone Star Conference this summer. 

Last season's contest in Richardson was the first meeting between UT Dallas and Utah Tech. The Trailblazers took the match 6-1. The Comets' lone point came at No. 4 singles in a tiebreaker.

Seniors Megan Zeng and Jhastine Red Ballado each have five singles wins to lead UTD. Sophomores Chloe O'Connor and Kendall Curley lead the Comets in doubles play with a 6-4 mark.

Following Tuesday's match, UT Dallas will host Collin College in an exhibition on Thursday, April 17.

LAST TIME OUT
Utah Tech women's tennis closed out the home portion of its 2024-25 season by rallying for a 4-3 dual victory over in-state rival Weber State on Senior Day Friday at the Trailblazer Tennis Courts. 

The Trailblazers (6-12) found themselves down 1-0 after three tightly contested doubles matches. The duo of Ana Gutierrez Sampere and Olivia Bustos collected Utah Tech's lone win with a 6-4 win at No. 2 doubles over Cindy Li and Savannah Johnson. 

Meanwhile, the pairing of Mariana Zurita and Maya Inouye came up just short in a battle with Jessica Hill and Sydney Schnell at No. 1 doubles, which the Wildcats (0-18) pulled out in a 7-6 (7-1) tiebreak. 

Utah Tech managed to quickly square the match with a default win at No. 6 singles, which was awarded to senior Laura Coulome, who was playing in her final home dual match. 

The Trailblazers also picked up one straight-set win in singles play, with Inouye (9-5) recording her ninth singles win of the season by defeating Aleks Bozinovska 6-3, 6-4. With her ninth singles win, the freshman became just the second Trailblazer in the program's brief NCAA Division I era to win at least nine singles matches in a season. Inouye joined for Blazer standout Rachel Mellor, who posted nine singles victories in both 2022 and 2024. 

Gutierrez Sampere also claimed victory in a hard-fought, three-set triumph in No. 3 singles over Alicia Morales 6-1, 3-6, 6-4. 

Weber State recorded wins at No. 1 and No. 2 singles to square the match at 3-3 with one more match to decide the dual. 

That match came in a three-set marathon at No. 4 singles between Trailblazer freshman Nutsa Tsintsadze and Johnson. Tsintsadze claimed the first set, 6-4, while Johnson rallied to square the match in a 7-6 (7-3) tiebreak. However, the Utah Tech freshman would not be denied as she battled to a 7-5 win in set three to clinch the match for the Trailblazers.

BROOMS AT THE READY
Four of Utah Tech's wins this season have been 7-0 sweeps. The Trailblazers earned their first win of the dual season with a thrashing of Colorado Mesa at Trailblazer Tennis Courts in St. George on March 7. UT picked up a dominant 7-0 victory over the College of Idaho in Boise, Idaho, on March 9. In a doubleheader, the Trailblazers won 14 straight points in two sweeps of Mesa Community College on March 30.

MEET THE TRAILBLAZERS
The 2024-25 roster consists of eight student-athletes with one senior, two juniors, three sophomores and two freshmen. Five Trailblazers are international students and three hail from the United States. Senior Laura Coulome (Eastern Arizona) and junior Nicole Kells (Alcorn State) both started their collegiate careers at other schools.

Head coach Eric Pelton is in his 19th season at the helm of Utah Tech women's tennis. Pelton has totaled 110 wins at UT and winning seasons in 2014 (12-9), 2017 (9-8), 2019 (13-4) and 2020 (6-3).

2024 IN REVIEW
The Trailblazers wrapped up their fourth and final season of transition to Division I in 2024 with a 6-16 (0-7 WAC) record, defeating UT Dallas, Colorado Mesa, Ottawa University (Ariz.), and Arizona Christian, along with a pair of wins over Mesa Community College.

UP NEXT
Utah Tech will compete in the WAC Championships hosted by UT Arlington on Thursday-Saturday, April 17-19, at the Arlington Tennis Center in Arlington, Texas.