Freshman Sofia Selle attempts to hit the ball during a match against the University of North Texas on Feb. 18 at UTA Tennis Center. Selle’s doubles match was left unfinished.
UTA women’s tennis (2-6) lost 4-0 to the University of North Texas (5-4) Wednesday at the UTA Tennis Center.
Heading into the game, the team was down a member with sophomore Vanja Cado recovering from a concussion. Head coach Diego Benitez said Cado will hopefully be back in form within the next two weeks.
Freshman Elizaveta Mladentseva, left, and freshman Flora Farkaslaki celebrate during a match against the University of North Texas on Feb. 18 at UTA Tennis Center. Mladentseva and Farkaslaki lost their doubles match 1-0.
UTA has struggled all season with doubles, facing issues as the new roster shifts to find the team’s best mesh, Benitez said. Freshman duo Sophie Selle and Natalia Gonzalez stood their ground but left the match unfinished, leading 5-2 against North Texas after UTA’s other duos each fell 6-2.
“We’re on the right track, and we’re doing really good, growing in doubles,” Selle said. “The team is getting better, and we’re giving our best. We have a lot of room to improve but this is good, because we have a lot of potential.”
Freshman Diana Kaibara hits the ball during a match against the University of North Texas on Feb. 18 at UTA Tennis Center. Kiabara lost her singles match 2-1.
Benitez stressed the importance of getting an early score in doubles and said the team fell short during deciding points. North Texas found success in UTA’s faults, clinching game points and reducing its errors as doubles went on.
Selle carried her success from doubles to start her singles match against North Texas junior Lilly Schultz, mounting a 5-1 lead. Schultz hit her stride and forced a tiebreaker against Selle, ultimately stealing set one, with the second set left unfinished at 3-1 in UTA’s favor.
Freshman Sofia Selle serves the ball during a match against the University of North Texas on Feb. 18 at UTA Tennis Center. UTA is 2-6 so far this season.
The rest of the Mavericks fell behind, as freshmen Tasnime Ahamout and Diana Kaibara gave up quick singles points in 6-1 and 6-0 sets, giving North Texas a 3-0 lead.
Freshman Flora Farkaslaki and Gonzalez’s matches also went unfinished, as Farkaslaki saw a third set after taking the first 6-4 and dropping the second 6-3. The third set stopped with North Texas up 1-0.
“I was fighting and my attitude was really nice,” Farkaslaki said. “In the second set, she started playing better, and I started going a bit down. I hurt my knee a little bit and in the third set, I started off with 1-0, and then we had to finish, but I think I started off really good.”
Freshman Flora Farkaslaki swings at the ball during a match against the University of North Texas on Feb. 18 at UTA Tennis Center. Farkaslaki’s singles match was left unfinished.
She said that the match against North Texas was one of her personal bests this season, adding that she is improving every repetition.
Closing the gates on a UTA comeback was graduate student Elizaveta Mladentseva’s match against North Texas junior Carolina Laydner. With all eyes on court one, Mladentseva fought tooth and nail to keep UTA in the competition, but 6-2, 6-4 straight sets blocked UTA from securing a single point.
Freshman Sofia Selle focuses on the ball during a match against the University of North Texas on Feb. 18 at UTA Tennis Center. UTA lost 4-0.
“We left some matches out there that maybe we could capitalize,” Benitez said. “We need to definitely still work on doubles and give ourselves a chance to win a doubles point. It’s hard to get out there and try to get four singles every single time, so we keep working on doubles, changing some pairings and some positions, as we did today.”
The team will take a week to recuperate before facing Lafayette College at 10 a.m. Feb. 26 at the UTA Tennis Center.
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