After hosting its lone home matches of the season, followed by a three-week break, the Dixie State women’s tennis team hits the road for a crucial Pacific West Conference stretch of five matches in six days starting Friday.
The Red Storm (3-8) open the trip at non-conference Division III foe Mills College in Oakland, California, on Friday at 3 p.m. DSU then heads up the road on Sunday to Dominican in San Rafael for the first of four PacWest matches on the trip. The Storm take on BYU-Hawaii and Notre Dame de Namur in Belmont on Monday, then return to Oakland to close the trip at Holy Names on Wednesday.
PacWest Tournament Implications
DSU heads to Northern California with hopes of improving its chances to compete in the PacWest Championships on April 14-16. The top-12 teams qualify for the tournament, making the upcoming stretch vs. PacWest foes a crucial one for the Storm.
Last time out
The Red Storm fell 9-0 to Cal State LA on Feb. 26, at the Cal State LA Tennis Complex in Los Angeles.
DSU came closest to a point at No. 1 doubles when sophomore Karolin Kukaras and freshman Lacey Hancock fell 8-5. Hancock battled at No. 2 singles but eventually fell 6-4, 6-0 to Elizaveta Sokolova.
2016 roster
Dixie State returns four players from last year’s squad and looks to build on a 6-9 finish last season. Juniors Laura Hartle, Kaylee Tarver and Samantha Yacano return alongside sophomore Karolin Kukaras to lead the way.
Hartle finished the 2014-2015 campaign with a 6-5 overall singles record and posted a 5-7 mark in doubles play. Kukaras earned third team all-PacWest honors last year, posting a 5-6 overall singles record and a 5-7 mark in doubles play. Tarver and Yacano did not compete last year but are expected to contribute this season.
Joining the team this year are freshman newcomers Jenna Fosdick and Lacey Hancock. Fosdick earned two varsity tennis letters at Corner Canyon High School in Draper, Utah. Hancock was a four-time region and State 3A champion at Pine View High School in St. George.
Next up
The Red Storm close their regular season at Southern Utah University on April 7.
Keric Seegmiller is Assistant Coordinator of Media Relations at Dixie State University and the Voice of Red Storm Athletics. Contact him at keric.seegmiller@dixie.edu.