RIO GRANDE VALLEY – Facing deficits in the second set on the four remaining courts, boisterous cheering from the team, donning the all-white uniforms, started to emerge on court four at Orville Cox Tennis Center Saturday.
 

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) women’s tennis held a 3-0 advantage over the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (TAMUCC) Islanders when sophomore Luna Buijtenhuijs, who faced an uphill battle trailing 4-1 in the second, turned the set into a 4-3 deficit in the blink of an eye. Buijtenhuijs had found another gear in the match. What started as a defensive battle, turned into an array of crushing forehands. Buijtenhuijs dug deep, painting lines, and pushing her opponent deep into her own territory. Buijtenhuijs rallied, clinching the historic victory with five straight games, winning 6-4, after previously taking the first set 6-4.
 
This win marked the first for the women’s tennis program since 2018, a 4-3 win in Edinburg. This was also the first win for the Vaqueros in conference play this season.
 
In addition, the women’s tennis program has added three points to the department’s South Texas Showdown, presented by Rally Credit Union, pushing UTRGV’s lead to 27.5-19.5 as the Vaqueros look for their first win over the Islanders since 2022-23.
 
The Vaqueros dominated the doubles session. On court two, the duo of seniors Barbara Martinez and Yaiza Vazquez shined using a mix of crushing forehands and tactical net play to earn a swift 6-1 win. Seconds later, the duo of sophomore Mariia Bakhtina and junior Hitakamya Narwal wrapped up a dominant 6-0 match which saw similar play to court two. Both courts stayed consistent and patient waiting for their opportunities to strike against the defensive Islanders.
 
Martinez carried her momentum from the doubles session into singles play, cruising to a 6-2, 6-1 win over Leticia Torocco. Martinez and Torocco traded games, opening the set to a 3-2 advantage for Martinez before she rattled off three in a row to claim the first set. Martinez used an eclectic mix of slices to keep Torocco off-balanced throughout the entire match. Martinez dominated to open the second, jumping out to a 3-0 lead. After losing the next game, Martinez won three consecutive games for the third time in the match to put UTRGV up 2-0.
 
On court six, sophomore Mariia Bakhtina battled in a tight straight-sets match with Emma Bousquet. Bakhtina won the first 6-3 before going down quick in the second set. Bakhtina bounced back, eventually taking a 5-3 lead. Bousquet rallied, tying the set at 5-5 and held a triple break point to go up 6-5; however, Bakhtina stayed light on her feet and remained composed, winning four points in a row to take a 6-5 lead. Bousquet served in the final game, reaching deuce, but Bousquet’s forehand went wide right to give UTRGV a 3-0 lead.
 
On the remaining three courts, senior Yaiza Vazquez earned a gritty 7-6 (8:6) first set win over Yana Mykytyn on court two, before dropping the next set 6-1. Vazquez trailed 1-0 before retiring, giving Mykytyn the win.
 
On court five, junior Rhea Makesar dug deep to win a grueling 7-5 first set before falling 6-2 in the second. Makesar and Josefa Fuenzaldia went to a third-set tiebreaker, which saw Fuenzaldia win 10-6.
 
The Islanders closed the match with a win on court three to make the final score 4-3.
 
UTRGV will continue conference play as they hit the road for a two-match swing, starting with Lamar on Saturday at 1 p.m.
 
Results
Doubles (2, 3, 1) 
1. Yana Mykytyn/Kseniya Ramanouskaya (TAMUCC) def. Luna Buijtenhuijs/Rhea Makesar (UTRGV), 6-1
2. Barbara Martinez/Yaiza Vazquez (UTRGV) def. Josefa Fuenzalida/Adriana Jimenez (TAMUCC), 6-1
3. Mariia Bakhtina/Hitakamya Narwal (UTRGV) def. Emma Bousquet/Ofer Kivity (TAMUCC), 6-0
 
Singles (1, 6, 4, 2, 3, 5)  
1. Barbara Martinez (UTRGV) def. Leticia Torocco (TAMUCC), 6-2, 6-1
2. Yana Mykytyn (TAMUCC) def. Yaiza Vazquez (UTRGV), 6-7 (8:6), 6-1, 1-0 ret.
3. Kseniya Ramanouskaya (TAMUCC) def. Hitakamya Narwal (UTRGV), 6-4, 6-3
4. Luna Buijtenhuijs (UTRGV) def. Adriana Jimenez (TAMUCC), 6-4, 6-4
5. Josefa Fuenzalida (TAMUCC) def. Rhea Makesar (UTRGV), 5-7, 6-3, 1-0 (10:6)
6. Mariia Bakhtina def. Emma Bousquet (TAMUCC), 6-3, 7-5

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