\n
\n Story Links
\n
<\/p>\n
AUSTIN \u2013\u00a0The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros women’s tennis program is ready to take on the Tarleton Texans Sunday at 6 p.m. at Austin Tennis Academy. Support UTRGV Women’s Tennis<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Become a Fan on Facebook<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Follow us on Twitter<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Follow us on Instagram<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Follow us on YouTube<\/a><\/p>\n
\n\u00a0
\nLast Time Out
\n\u00a0
\nUTRGV snapped its seven-match skid Thursday with a 5-2 win over UT Permian Basin.
\n\u00a0
\nThe Vaqueros controlled the match from the opening matches, sweeping all three doubles courts with emphatic victories. On court two, the duo of sophomore Mariia Bakhtina<\/a> and junior Hitakamya Narwal<\/a> earned a dominant 6-0 win. UTRGV clinched the doubles point with a 6-1 win from sophomore Luna Buijtenhuijs<\/a> and senior Yaiza Vazquez<\/a> on court three.
\n\u00a0
\nMeanwhile, on court one, the duo of junior Rhea Makesar<\/a> and graduate student Barbara Martinez<\/a> earned a 6-2 win to solidify the sweep.
\n\u00a0
\nIn singles play, Martinez cruised to a 6-1, 6-3 victory on court one to give the Vaqueros a 2-0 lead.
\n\u00a0
\nUTRGV clinched the match with back-to-back wins on courts four and five. After a dominant 6-0 win in the first set, Bakhtina battled to a 6-4 win in the second on court four. Minutes later, senior Valentina Urraco<\/a> dominated with a 6-1, 6-3 win on court five.
\n\u00a0
\nOn court three, the final match of the day, junior Rhea Makesar<\/a> went to the deciding 10-point tiebreaker. Makesar won the first 6-2 before dropping the second 6-2 to set up the endcap. Makesar and her opponent, Sophia Rashid switched sides of the court at 3-3 and 7-5 before Makesar flipped the switch, winning three of the final four points to secure the 10-6 victory.
\n\u00a0
\nScouting the Texans
\n\u00a0
\nThe Vaqueros will face the Texans, a former conference foe, at 6 p.m. Sunday at Austin Tennis Academy. UTRGV last played Tarleton in 2024, as members of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC), a 6-1 win for the Texans in Edinburg. UTRGV is 0-6 all-time against Tarleton.
\n\u00a0
\nTarleton, a member of the WAC, is 8-5 on the year with wins over multiple Southland Conference opponents. The Texans have earned a 4-1 win over McNeese, a 7-0 win over Incarnate Word, and a 4-0 win over Northwestern State.
\n\u00a0
\nThe Texans are led by Aya Ishii who has amassed a 10-2 record in singles play, which includes a 3-1 record on court one and a 7-1 record on court two. Eight of the nine Texans on the roster have a winning record in singles.
\n\u00a0
\nIn doubles, the Texans hang their hat on court two, earning a 9-3 record across four separate doubles teams. Tarleton has also amassed winning records of 6-5 and 5-4 on courts one and three, respectively.
\n\u00a0
\nMeanwhile, the Vaqueros are led by Buijtenhuijs and Makesar who each have a team-high four wins on the season. Makesar has picked up wins on courts two, three, and four this season while Buijtenhuijs has earned wins on courts three, four, and five.
\n\u00a0
\nIn doubles, the duo of Bakhtina and Narwal have generated the best record, 3-2, with a 1-0 record on court two and 2-2 record on court three.<\/p>\n