PREVIEW: Tennis Opens Big 12 Action Against #35 Utah and #29 BYU

HOUSTON — The #47 University of Houston Tennis team opens its Big 12 Conference slate with a pair of ranked match ups as it hosts #35 Utah on Thursday and #29 BYU on Saturday at the Barbara Wallace Winston Tennis Facility.

Both matches are set for a 1 p.m. first serve with free admission to all fans. FREE pizza and t-shirts are available for UH students while supplies last at both matches this weekend. In between doubles and singles action of Saturday's match, the Cougars welcome home alumni and thank them for their contributions to Houston Tennis.

A stream for both matches can be found here, with live stats available here.

LAST TIME OUT
The Cougars collected a pair of wins as they defeated UTSA, 7-0, and SFA, 6-1 on Feb. 13 and 15, respectively.

Houston earned a hard-fought doubles point after juniors Elizaveta Morozova and Petja Drame delivered a 6-0 shutout on court three before seniors Sophie Schouten and Chems Doha Zeghlouli clinched the point with a 6-4 win on court one.

The Cougars made quick work in singles with no player dropping more than four games in a set on any court.

Against SFA, the Cougars cruised to the doubles point as juniors Valeriia Krokhotina and Iva Sepa pitched a shutout on court two while Drame and Morozova clinched with a 6-3 win on court three.

Houston handled business on courts five, six, three and four, not dropping more than two games on any court.

The Cougars dropped their first point of the season on court two as Zeghlouli fell in a third-set tiebreaker, 11-9. Morozova wrapped the match with a 6-4, 7-5 slugfest on court one.

ABOUT HOUSTON
Houston enters its second season under the direction of Head Coach Katarina Adamovic and returns five starters from a season ago.

The Cougars are off to their best start since 1990 at 9-0, swept its first eight opponents for the first time in program history and is ranked #47 in the latest Intercollegiate Tennis Association team poll.

Houston features two of their three doubles teams in the rankings as Schouten and Zeghlouli stayed put at #82 while Morozova and Drame dropped a spot to #87.

ABOUT UTAH
Utah enters the weekend with a 6–3 record and ranked #35 in the latest ITA poll. The Utes dropped its last two matches against Washington and San Diego last week in Seattle.

The Utes are led by a pair of six-match winners as Sara Akid boasts a 6-0 record while #81 Emma Kamper enters the weekend with a 6-2 ledger. Kamper and Emma Valletta lead the Utes with a 7-2 doubles record on court one.

The Utes hold a narrow 3-2 record against Houston, including a 4-0 victory in their last match in Salt Lake City (April 10, 2025).

ABOUT BYU
BYU enters conference play at #39 UCF Thursday before making its way to Houston Saturday. The Cougars come into the weekend with an 11–1 record and on a nine-match win streak. After a pair of wins over Weber State and Colorado State, the Cougars jumped 18 spots to #29 in this week's ITA poll.

Bella Lewis and Sage Bergeson each sport a 9-1 singles record to lead the Cougars. Kendall Kovick and YuYen Chen pace BYU with a 5-2 doubles mark on court two. Doubles pair Grace Levelston and Kendall Kovick sit at #41 in the ITA Doubles rankings.

BYU and Houston meet for the 15th time on Saturday with BYU owning a 1-13 record and winning the last 12 meetings.

SUPPORT YOUR COOGS
Fans can make a direct impact on the success of Houston Tennis by providing NIL opportunities and by joining the Center Court Club, which provides financial support directly to Houston Tennis for needs beyond its operating budget.

STAY CONNECTED
Fans can receive updates by following @UHCougarTennis on X, formerly known as Twitter and catch up with the latest news and notes on the team by clicking LIKE on the team's Facebook page at UHCougarTennis or on the team's Instagram page at @uhcougartennis.

– UHCougars.com –

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