DENVER - The University of Denver women's tennis team defeated the University of Wyoming 5-2 last Saturday at Colorado Athletic Club - Monaco to improve their overall season record to 9-2.

Julia O'Loughlin (Highland Beach, Fla.), Bianca Mok (Boise, Idaho), Morgan Barnhill (Austin, Texas) and Charlotte Derbyshire (Stockton, England) each picked up singles victories to secure the win. O'Loughlin and Maureen Slattery (Newport, Va.), along with Barnhill and Mok also picked up doubles wins for the Pioneers.

On the heels of taking down our most recent victim, the Pioneers have climbed to a season-high No. 54 in the ITA national rankings (up from No. 63, out of over 300+ Division I programs). Individually, sophomore Julia O'Loughlin (Highland Beach, Fla.) jumped three spots to No. 86 in the Oracle/ITA Division I Women's Singles Rankings.

With only two losses on the season (versus the 2015 NCAA Champion Vanderbilt Commodores and current No. 46 New Mexico Lobos), the team is in fabulous position for next weekend's pivotal away matchups. The Pioneers will travel to Manhattan, KS on March 4 to take on No. 70 Kansas State at 2:00 p.m. MT, followed by No. 23 University of Kansas in Lawrence, KS on March 6 at 12:00 p.m. MT.

Following a demoralizing defeat to the Pioneers last year, and a Top-50 national ranking now on the line this season, the upcoming Pioneers vs. Kansas Jayhawks matchup is shaping up to be a season-defining, heavyweight title bout. If that doesn't get Pioneers fans excited, maybe this mid-season check-in video will - check it out here!

Needless to say, it is a very exciting time for both Denver Tennis and Denver Athletics as a whole. With legendary coach Bill Tierney leading the Denver Lacrosse team to its first-ever NCAA National Championship last spring, and a record-setting 35,000+ fans attending the historic "Battle on the Blake" Pioneers ice hockey game at Coors Field this past weekend, the time is ripe for the women's tennis team to break into the national stage.

Of course, we can't do it without your help. Typically, each year we try and raise $7,500, which helps fund our tennis operations. Right now, we've raised roughly $3,500. We're looking to raise the remaining $4,000 by June, particularly from our student-athlete alumni. ANY size donation to the Women's Tennis Program would be incredibly helpful and very much appreciated! To make a donation to the Women's Tennis Program, please call 303-871-3720 and/or visit: http://dupioneermovement.com/

Thank you as always for your continued support of the Denver Women's Tennis Program. We hope to see you at our next home matches during the weekend of March 25-26, and we look forward to updating you with some great results and news very soon! Go Pios!

-Christian Thompson
Head Coach