April 28, 2011

FORT COLLINS, Colo. -

• 2011 Mountain West Tennis Championships Central
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Second-seeded Utah advanced to the semifinals of the 2011 Mountain West Women's Tennis Championship with a 4-0 win over seventh-seeded Air Force on Thursday at the University Tennis Complex on the campus of Colorado State in Fort Collins, Colo.

The 55th-ranked Utes took a 1-0 lead in the dual, picking up the doubles point in two matches. Utah began the match by claiming a victory at the No. 1 position, with the tandem of Anastasia Putilina and Paige Miles netting a victory over Melissa Cecil and Tahlia Smoke (8-4). The duo of Evgenia Kryuchkova and Lexi Provancha captured the doubles point for the Utes, downing Christen Monreal and Anastasia Hueffner, 9-8 (3) at the No. 2 position.

Sarah Pham claimed the first singles victory of the match, cruising to a 6-0, 6-2 decision over Smoke at the No. 3 position to give Utah a 2-0 advantage. Putilina, the 89th-ranked player in the country, then notched the team's third point with a straight-sets win over Monreal (6-2, 6-2) at the top of the singles lineup.

The Utes finished the match with a 6-3, 6-2 win at No. 5 singles by Miles over Hueffner.

Utah will face the winner of No. 3 San Diego State/No. 6 Wyoming in the tournament semifinals on Friday at 10 a.m. MT.

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#7 Air Force Falcons vs #2 Utah Utes
Apr 28, 2011 at Fort Collins, Colo.
(University Tennis Complex)
#55 #2 Utah Utes 4, #7 Air Force Falcons 0

Singles competition
1. #89 Anastasia Putilina (UTAH) def. Christen Monreal (AFA) 6-2, 6-2
2. Evgenia Kryuchkova (UTAH) def. Melissa Cecil (AFA) 6-2, 5-2
3. Sarah Pham (UTAH) def. Tahlia Smoke (AFA) 6-0, 6-2
4. Lucia Kovarcikova (UTAH) def. Sarah Cassman (AFA) 6-4, 4-3
5. Paige Miles (UTAH) def. Anastasia Hueffner (AFA) 6-3, 6-2
6. Lexi Provancha (UTAH) def. Megumi Voight (AFA) 6-0, 4-2

Doubles competition
1. Anastasia Putilina/Paige Miles (UTAH) def. Melissa Cecil/Tahlia Smoke (AFA) 8-4
2. Evgenia Kryuchkova/Lexi Provancha (UTAH) def. Christen Monreal/Anastasia Hueffner (AFA) 9-8 (7-3)
3. Hannah Dake/Sarah Cassman (AFA) vs. Lucia Kovarcikova/Sarah Pham (UTAH) 8-8

Match Notes:
#7 Air Force Falcons 16-11 (2-6 MW)
#2 Utah Utes 14-9 (7-1 MW); National ranking #55
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2); Singles (3,1,5)