With four season matches complete, the No. 54 University of Denver women’s tennis team is off to a strong start. The team of eight has secured two impressive match wins against Virginia Commonwealth University and Princeton University so far and is expected to move through the remainder of the season with equal success.

“So far, our season has been very good. All the matches we’ve played have been away, but our girls have been doing a good job of being prepared to play each match,” said head coach Christian Thompson.
Denver’s two match wins have been against ranked opponents, No. 39 Virginia Commonwealth and No. 69 Princeton. Freshmen Sonja Radosevic and Maureen Slattery helped the Pioneers finish victorious. At Princeton, Radosevic posted a 2-6, 6-4 (12-10) win in singles for Denver, alongside Slattery who finished with 2-6, 7-5 (10-7).

“Our freshmen have been doing really well. Both of them have clinched some impressive wins,” Thompson said.

With the first home match at Gates Tennis Center still over two months away, the Pioneers have 14 matches remaining on the road before they can compete on familiar courts.

“As a whole we have been working hard every week. The girls are very motivated to fight and compete. On the road, we have been able to shift our momentum to win our matches,” Thompson said.

Continuing on the road, the Pioneers will take on the University of Utah in Salt Lake City on Feb. 13. Utah is currently ranked No. 58 in the nation.

“Our team goal is to be ranked in the top 50. Rankings come out next week and we will see where we are. We have a lot of matches left to go. We just need to be making sure that we are ready to play the better team and focus on winning our conference in the Summit League,” Thompson said.

The winner of the Summit League conference in April will receive an automatic bid for the NCAA championship tournament in May. Last year, Denver fell short of taking home the WAC Tournament title, but will have home court advantage this spring. Receiving the bid for the Summit League Men’s and Women’s Tennis Championships, Denver will host the tournament at Gates Tennis Center April 25-27.

“The girls will be ready to get the Summit League title in April. It will be awesome to play at our home courts. Gates is a great venue and we are hoping to get a big crowd. It will be a great atmosphere to host a tournament,” Thompson said.

The majority of the season still remains for the Pioneers, giving them time to prepare for bigger tournaments in April and late May.