A semifinal loss ended sophomore Denise Dy’s run at the ITA National Intercollegite Indoor Championships, but her performance this week at the tournament established Dy as one of the top collegiate players in the nation.

Dy dropped her semifinal bout to California’s Jana Juricova 6-4, 6-1. At the ITA Northwest Regional tournament, Dy had upended Juricova 6-3, 6-3, but couldn’t repeat the same result this weekend. Despite losing, Dy still proved herself this fall.

“Her performance at this tournament let everyone know that she was for real and one of the elite players in the country,” assistant coach Damon Coupe said. “It’s been a learning process for her, and she’s been working really hard. Her hard work is really paying off.”

Dy became the first Husky ever to win the ITA regional tournament. This weekend, Dy made her way into the record books again. Only one other player in UW history has made it all the way to the semifinals of the Indoor Championships.

Coupe said that two things have changed for Dy since last year: trust and fitness.

“Last year, she wasn’t strong enough mentally,” Coupe said. “She is finally trusting her game.”

Meanwhile, in San Diego, the rest of the women’s squad competed in the SDSU Fall Classic. Results were mixed, as senior Joyce Ardies fell in the finals of flight one, but also won the doubles bracket with sophomore Samantha Smith. Junior Aleksandra Krsljanin and Vanja Radunovic also picked up victories in the singles bracket.

The tournament marks the end of the 2009 fall season for the women. The UW competed in two team tournaments, and results were mediocre. Head coach Jill Hultquist plans to address aggressiveness from the baseline and finishing the point in the last few weeks before finals.

Hultquist was especially impressed with the performance of Venise Chan and Dy this fall. The two singles stars beat some of the country’s top players and established themselves as elite collegiate players.

“I think we have work to do, but I like the depth of our team,” Hultquist said.

The men dominated the field this weekend at the PNW Intercollegiates at the Nordstrom Tennis Center. In both flights, it was an all-Husky final. Junior Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan took down teammate senior Derek Drabble 6-4, 7-6 (6) in Flight A, while junior Brad Bator defeated fellow junior Skyler Tateishi, 6-3, 6-2.

In the doubles final, Bator and Nedunchezhiyan made it all the way to the final, but couldn’t make it a UW sweep, losing to Portland’s Filip Zivkovic and Evan Schleining 8-5.

This weekend marked the first team action for the Huskies this fall. They will get one more chance to get some match experience when they host the Nordstrom Fall Open beginning Nov. 20.

Reach reporter Taylor Soper at sports@dailyuw.com.