LARAMIE, Wyo. -- Northern Colorado's women's tennis team advanced to its first Big Sky Conference tournament last year, and Brenda Vlasak's Bears have designs on returning to the postseason this year.

That return march began this weekend with the Wyoming Invitational, Northern Colorado's first fall-schedule event of the 2008-09 season, which started Thursday, Sept. 11, and continues until later today in Laramie.

Vlasak has added a few new faces to this year's Northern Colorado squad, but it's the holdovers -- espectially senior Manuela Santos and junior Hannah LaForest -- who have made the biggest splash.

Santos began play in the Gold Singles bracket on Friday, Sept. 12, with an 8-6 victory against the Cowgirls' Sarah Summerfield. She then took down Montana State junior Laura Villegas, 9-7, in the second round.

Santos will take on Colorado State's Lauren Strasburger in the bracket's semifinals on Saturday morning.

LaForest, competing in the White Singles bracket, started with an 8-6 victory against the Rams' Katie Brown. She later advanced past Weber State's Karlie Hancock, 8-6, and will face Montana State's McKenzie Hilmer in the semifinals on Saturday.

Also winning initial matches but failing to follow up with another victory for the Bears were sophomore Jodi Ciarvella and freshman Jennifer Whateley, from Farnham Surrey, UK.

A doubles competition was also scheduled for the invitational, but rainy weather conditions in Laramie has wreaked havoc on that bracket. Results were unavailable.

NORTHERN COLORADO AT WYOMING INVITATIONAL
Brown Singles
Jodi Ciarvella
• def. J. Nelson (WYO), 9-8
• loss A. Pohjalainen (CSU), 9-8

Jennifer Whateley
• def. B. Moore (WSU), 9-7
• loss K. Stople (CSU), 8-3

Gold Singles
Tiffany Knop
• loss S. Jasper (MSU), 8-3

Manuela Santos
• def. S. Summerfield (WYO), 8-6
• def. L. Villegas (MSU), 9-7

White Singles
Hannah LaForest
• def. K. Brown (CSU), 8-5
• def. K. Hancock (WSU), 8-6

Jill Kappel
• loss L. Thigpen (MSU), no score available