PHOENIX— The Idaho women's tennis returns to the Phoenix Tennis Center as they prepare to kick off the 2019 Big Sky Women's Tennis Championship. While both the Men and Women's tournaments open the first round on Thursday, Idaho will begin their championship defense Friday at 11 a.m. against Weber State in the semifinals.

Finishing 8-2 (12-7 overall) in the Big Sky, the Vandals earned a No. 2 seeding ahead for the tournament. This marks the fourth time the women received the second-seed. The four-time defending Big Sky Conference Champions are looking to continue its winning tradition with a fifth consecutive Big Sky title, sixth consecutive conference title.

Three-time conference MVP Marianna Petrei led the way this season with an undefeated dual record in league play, 10-0, at the one position. The senior has yet to lose a Big Sky match with an 40-0 career record. Senior Maria Tavares and sophomore Marta Magalhães follows right behind Petrei boasting a 9-1 record each on the season.

Both Petrei and Tavares teamed up in double this season grabbing nine wins on the season.

Live scoring for the entire Big Sky Men's and Women's Tennis Championships can be found at BigSkyStats.com.

2019 Big Sky Women's Tennis Championship Schedule
Quarterfinals - April 25
No. 3 Weber State vs. No. 6 Sacramento State - 11 a.m. PT
No. 4 Eastern Washington vs. No. 5 Southern Utah - 11 a.m. PT

Semifinals - April 26
No. 1 Northern Arizona vs. Lowest Remaining Seed - 11 a.m. PT
No. 2 Idaho vs. Highest Remaining Seed - 11 a.m. PT

Championship - April 27
Semifinal Winners - 11 a.m. PT FOLLOW
For updates, follow @IdahoWTennis on Twitter and Instagram; and @Idaho_Vandals on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.