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Saturday, March 15
Provo, UT
11:00 AM
University of Utah
at
BYU
Photo by: Liv Medivitz/Utah Athletics
Utes Face In-State Rival BYU in Provo on Saturday
3/13/2025 1:04 PM | Women's Tennis
SALT LAKE CITY – The University of Utah women's tennis team is slated for a rivalry clash against the BYU Cougars in Provo, with the first serve at 11 a.m. on Saturday, March 15.
MATCH INFORMATION
Utah (6-7, 1-3 Big 12) vs. BYU (11-6, 1-3 Big 12)
DATE | TIME: Saturday, March 15 | 11 a.m. MT
LOCATION: Provo, UT | Indoor Tennis Courts
LIVE STATS: Click Here
TWITTER UPDATES: @UteWomensTennis
SCOUTING THE COUGARS
BYU enters the match with an 11-6 overall record, including a 1-3 mark in conference play. The Utes have faced their in-state rivals four times, holding a 3-1 advantage over the Cougars. However, in their most recent encounter, Utah fell 4-0 in March 2023.
THE UTES
The Utah women's tennis program competes this season with a roster featuring a core group of returning players blended with new talent. Returning to the team are sophomores Sara Akid and Emma Kamper, junior Kaila Barksdale, and senior Samantha Horwood, all of whom contributed significantly during the 2024 season. Joining the squad this season are two transfers in Dylan Lolofie, a Salt Lake City native from Weber State, and Emma Valletta from Ravena, Italy, previously at VCU. This spring, the team additionally welcomed freshman Hayley Roberts from Bradenton, Florida.
LAST TIME OUT
The Utah women's tennis team earned a hard-fought 4-3 victory over Colorado on Saturday, March 8, earning its first Big 12 win of the season and improving to 6-7 overall.
After dropping the doubles point, the Utes rallied in singles. Emma Kamper set the tone with a dominant 6-1, 6-4 win at No. 1, and Kaila Barksdale followed with a 7-5, 6-0 victory at No. 3. Sara Akid battled through a tight second set to win 6-3, 7-6(5) at No. 2, putting Utah ahead 3-2. With the match tied at 3-3, Emma Valletta delivered in the clutch, grinding out a 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 win on court four to seal the victory.
HEAD COACH RUTH ANN ALLEN
The Utah women's tennis team welcomed Ruth Ann Allen as head coach this season. A Utah native and a Utah All-American and Hall of Famer, Allen returns to lead the program after a successful tenure as head coach at Weber State. She guided the Wildcats to a Big Sky Championship in 2023 and was twice named Big Sky Coach of the Year (2022, 2023).
Before Weber State, Allen spent 20 seasons as an assistant coach at Utah, where she helped the Utes secure multiple NCAA Tournament bids, two Mountain West Conference titles, and numerous top-five regional rankings. Allen, an All-American during her playing career at Utah, was inducted into the Utah Tennis Association Hall of Fame in 2023.
NEXT UP
The Utes will next travel to Morgantown, WV, for a match against West Virginia on Thursday, March 20, before heading to Ohio to face Cincinnati on March 22.
FOLLOW THE UTES
Fans can follow us on social media (Twitter: @UteWomensTennis | Instagram: @UtahWomensTennis | Facebook: Facebook.com/Utahwomenstennis).
MATCH INFORMATION
Utah (6-7, 1-3 Big 12) vs. BYU (11-6, 1-3 Big 12)
DATE | TIME: Saturday, March 15 | 11 a.m. MT
LOCATION: Provo, UT | Indoor Tennis Courts
LIVE STATS: Click Here
TWITTER UPDATES: @UteWomensTennis
SCOUTING THE COUGARS
BYU enters the match with an 11-6 overall record, including a 1-3 mark in conference play. The Utes have faced their in-state rivals four times, holding a 3-1 advantage over the Cougars. However, in their most recent encounter, Utah fell 4-0 in March 2023.
THE UTES
The Utah women's tennis program competes this season with a roster featuring a core group of returning players blended with new talent. Returning to the team are sophomores Sara Akid and Emma Kamper, junior Kaila Barksdale, and senior Samantha Horwood, all of whom contributed significantly during the 2024 season. Joining the squad this season are two transfers in Dylan Lolofie, a Salt Lake City native from Weber State, and Emma Valletta from Ravena, Italy, previously at VCU. This spring, the team additionally welcomed freshman Hayley Roberts from Bradenton, Florida.
LAST TIME OUT
The Utah women's tennis team earned a hard-fought 4-3 victory over Colorado on Saturday, March 8, earning its first Big 12 win of the season and improving to 6-7 overall.
After dropping the doubles point, the Utes rallied in singles. Emma Kamper set the tone with a dominant 6-1, 6-4 win at No. 1, and Kaila Barksdale followed with a 7-5, 6-0 victory at No. 3. Sara Akid battled through a tight second set to win 6-3, 7-6(5) at No. 2, putting Utah ahead 3-2. With the match tied at 3-3, Emma Valletta delivered in the clutch, grinding out a 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 win on court four to seal the victory.
HEAD COACH RUTH ANN ALLEN
The Utah women's tennis team welcomed Ruth Ann Allen as head coach this season. A Utah native and a Utah All-American and Hall of Famer, Allen returns to lead the program after a successful tenure as head coach at Weber State. She guided the Wildcats to a Big Sky Championship in 2023 and was twice named Big Sky Coach of the Year (2022, 2023).
Before Weber State, Allen spent 20 seasons as an assistant coach at Utah, where she helped the Utes secure multiple NCAA Tournament bids, two Mountain West Conference titles, and numerous top-five regional rankings. Allen, an All-American during her playing career at Utah, was inducted into the Utah Tennis Association Hall of Fame in 2023.
NEXT UP
The Utes will next travel to Morgantown, WV, for a match against West Virginia on Thursday, March 20, before heading to Ohio to face Cincinnati on March 22.
FOLLOW THE UTES
Fans can follow us on social media (Twitter: @UteWomensTennis | Instagram: @UtahWomensTennis | Facebook: Facebook.com/Utahwomenstennis).
Players Mentioned
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