The University of Utah women’s tennis team opened the year with a fantastic showing at the Utah Invite. The Invite was especially successful for standout Utah performer Emily Dush, who went undefeated over the weekend.

The team opened the Utah invite in fantastic form. The Utes went undefeated in the doubles section. Dush and Madison Tattini defeated Yue Lin Chen and Myu Kageyama by a score of 8-3. Samantha Horwood and Anya Lamoreaux followed suit as they beat their rivals Hsuan Huang and Sarah O’Connor 8-3. Hsiang-Wen Huang and Satoho Toriumi were the final Utes doubles opponents. Lindsay Hung and Katya Hersh made quick work of them as well, winning the set 8-4.

The singles portion of the day continued the solid outing for the Utes. Lamoreaux, Tattini, Dush, and Horwood all picked up wins in convincing straight set victories. The only Utes to falter in this portion were Hung and Hersh who both lost in straight sets, however their performance was still laudable. 

As for day two of the Utah invite, it was even more successful for the tennis squad than the first. Once again the Utes went undefeated in the doubles portion. All the doubles partners from day one picked up convincing victories against their Weber State counterparts.

Singles was no different from doubles as the Utes only lost one out of their six matches. Lamoreaux was unable to win against Annaliese Country from Utah State University. It would be hard to argue that fatigue didn’t play a role in this match as a well-rested Lamoreaux would certainly be able to top the competent Country.

Other than this one hiccup the Utes were unstoppable. Kayla Hersh only dropped one game in her two-set victory over Brooke Demerath. Dush, Tattini, Horwood and Hung all won comfortably in straight sets. 

Moving into the third and final day of competition, Lamoreaux and Horwood were the first Utes doubles team of the weekend to lose, but put up a good fight as the set ended 8-6. The Dush/Tattini partnership continued to pay dividends as they cruised to an 8-4 victory. Hung and Hersh continued their dominance with an 8-3 victory over Lisa Kung and Brooke Demerath.

In singles, Lamoreaux provided the most inspired performance. She dropped her first set against Sarah O’Conner 6-1, but came into her groove in the second and third sets, winning 6-2, then added a dominant 6-1 cap to her Invite run.

Dush did not lose a single game during the invite, defeating Yue Lin Chen in straight sets. Horwood and Hung also picked up nice wins to finish off the weekend. Tattini and Hersh both lost their matches 6-4, 6-3 but each flashed potential that should flourish fully during upcoming matches. 

“I am happy with these first few weekends of competition for our team,” head coach Ric Mortera said to Utah Athletics. “To start the way Linda and Anastasia did at Cal and to now have a solid weekend on our home courts is a very positive way to start the fall. Emily has put in a lot of work to get back to the level she is at now, and I am very pleased with her weekend. Samantha also had an impressive first tournament as a Ute, and I am excited to see how she continues to develop her game. Madison has come a long way in coming back, and this weekend was such a great step forward for her. Overall, I thought it was a great weekend for all of us as we continue to get back in the swing of things, and we will look forward to getting back on the courts and continuing our preparations.”

Overall, the Utes had an excellent weekend. They won far more matches then they lost and their chemistry and teamwork was smooth and cohesive. If the Utes can turn potential and raw talent into wins, they look to have an incredibly successful upcoming year. Under the tutelage of Mortera, the Utes have a real chance to compete out of conference and in the Pac-12.

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