After a strong debut at the BYU Invitational, the Utah women’s tennis team will be back in action this week as it faces teams from across the nation in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association All-American Championship.
Last year at the ITA Championships, Utah didn’t get very far in the tournament as every player for the Utes was eliminated by the end of the second qualifying round. This year, the Utes are looking to improve on last year’s finish.
To accomplish this feat, the Utes will look to the duo of Erin Monson and Anastasia Putilina in doubles play. At the BYU Invitational, Monson and Putilina made it to the final round of the doubles tournament before falling to Lauren Megale and Klaudia Wlodarczyk of Boise State.
In singles play, the top player for the Utes so far this season has been freshman Lisa Johnson. At the BYU Invitational, Johnson emerged as one of the top players for the Utes as she won the singles flight B Championship.
Another impact player for the Utes in this week’s tournament will be Evgenia Kryuchkova. After a breakout season last year, Kryuchkova was picked as the Mountain West Conference Freshman of the Year and will look to continue her success this week.
“This is a big test to see where we stand,” head coach Mat Iandolo said. “But this is still early in the year.”
The ITA Championship will begin Tuesday in Pacific Palisades, Calif., with two days of qualifying matches before championship play runs from Oct. 2 through Oct. 5.