The University of Denver women’s tennis team will start its 2026 dual season with a home match against Seattle on Friday, January 23, at 4 p.m. Mountain Time. The event will take place at Denver Tennis Park, where admission and parking are free.
This match is part of a doubleheader for the university’s tennis program. Earlier in the day, the Denver men’s team will face Texas Tech at noon. Free pizza will be provided during both matches as part of the opening-weekend celebration.
Denver enters the new season as the preseason favorite to win the Summit League title, following its 11th consecutive championship last year. The team brings back seven players from last year’s roster, including seniors Hana Bečirovič Novak, Marley Lambert, Claudia Martinez de Velasco, and Louise Wikander. Five of last season’s six singles players return after contributing to a combined total of 89 singles wins in 2025.
Natali Jaiani and Remy Nguyen saw their first collegiate action during the fall of 2025 after redshirting previously. Senior transfer Zoe Adkins joins Denver this year after earning her second straight All-Summit League Team honor while playing for Omaha in 2024-25. Newcomers Yunfei Cai and Ruby Hansen are also on this year’s roster.
All ten student-athletes participated in the fall season, highlighted by Wikander’s appearance at the NCAA Division I Singles Championship in November after she won the ITA Mountain Regional title.
Last season, Denver secured its 11th straight Summit League title and advanced to the NCAA National Championships for the 14th time in program history. The team finished with a 12-10 overall record and maintained an undefeated record in Summit League play.
Then-senior Andrea Burguete Beltran qualified for the NCAA Division I Singles Championship field and defeated the No. 31-ranked player nationally in the first round, becoming only the fourth DU women’s player to win a singles match at that level.
Friday’s contest marks just the third meeting between Denver and Seattle; Denver has won both previous encounters. Their last matchup was on February 28, 2020, when Denver swept Seattle 7-0 before that season was canceled due to COVID-19.
Looking ahead, starting July 1, 2026, Denver and Seattle will become conference rivals as DU joins the West Coast Conference—a move announced by the university on October 31, 2025.
After facing Seattle, Denver continues its five-match home stand by hosting Miami (Ohio) on Saturday, January 31.
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