Utah women’s tennis welcomed competitors from over 20 schools at the ITA Regionals over the weekend. Several Utes found success and put up strong performances.
“A good step forward for a lot of our players this weekend,” said head coach Ric Mortera. “I am proud of Marcela [Lopez] and her awesome run to the finals. She has certainly been growing in her game and learned some valuable lessons this week that should set her up well for the future.
“Emma picking up her first college title this early in her time here is definitely something that should add confidence in her young career,” Mortera added. “We are looking forward to see how she can build off of it. Kaila has been a model of consistency and although I know she is disappointed with how it ended, it was another good showing and I believe it is only a matter of time before she takes another step forward in her career.
“It was great to be able to see everyone compete and there is much to be excited about,” Mortera continued. “I was especially happy with how the seniors were working to set the tone for the environment we were creating for this tournament. There were plenty more positives and great experiences we had throughout the week and we will continue to get to work on making strides forward this fall.”
Marcela Lopez carved a triumphant path to the finals in the main draw. Lopez kicked off the weekend with a dominant victory over Air Force’s Arianna VanHouweling 6-2, 6-0. She continued her streak in the round of 32, where she defeated BYU’s Kendall Kovick 6-3, 6-0.
Lopez fought through a tiebreak in the round of 16 to collect another victory over Denver’s Anastacia Simonov 6-2, 7-6 (3), advancing her to the quarterfinals. In the quarter finals secured another victory, effortlessly overcoming Elys Ventura from Colorado, with a dominant 6-0, 6-3 scoreline.
Entering the semifinals, Lopez was up against a formidable opponent, the No.1 seed Yujia Huang from BYU, who had defeated her teammate Katherine Lyman in the round of 16.. Despite the tough matchup, Lopez fought valiantly, pushing the match to a decisive third set. She ultimately emerged victorious, defeating Huang 3-6, 7-5, 6-1, and secured her spot in the finals.
With the semifinal victory, Lopez also earned a spot in the ITA Fall Nationals Tournament.
After an intense final, Lopez narrowly missed claiming…
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