ARLINGTON – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros women's tennis team earned the #3 seed in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Tournament after a strong season, and they're hoping to keep the momentum rolling to make a long run. 
 
"This is what it's all about, the end of the season. We've been peaking for this all year. To earn the three-seed is one minor goal, but I told the team we haven't accomplished anything yet. We have a long way to go," head coach West Nott said. 
 
First up, the Vaqueros (12-8, 7-2 WAC) will take on the #6 New Mexico State Aggies (10-13, 4-5 WAC) at 12 p.m. Thursday at the Arlington Tennis Center. UTRGV defeated NM State 6-1 when the two teams met in Edinburg during the regular season, but they know the Aggies, which won the 2022 WAC Tournament Championship, won't be an easy out. 
 
"NM State has pretty much the same lineup from last year, they just added one or two pieces that are really good players. We got the best of them at home, but I'm sure this time it's going to be much tougher because everyone's backs are against the wall. We're prepared and we're ready for it and we'll see what happens," Nott said. 
 
Awaiting the Vaqueros in the semifinal round at 9 a.m. Friday, should they advance, will be the winner of the first-round match between #2 Tarleton and #7 Seattle U. On the other side of the bracket, #1 UT Arlington will get the chance to make a run for the championship match on familiar courts. The women's championship match is slated for 9 a.m. Saturday. 
 
The team has seen solid play from several singles players, including juniors Lea Karren and Isabelle Bahr, who have swapped positions in the No. 1 and No. 2 flights, though Karren saw the most action at the top of the lineup. Sophomores Marjorie Souza and Barbara Martinez were solid in their debut seasons in 2022 and have been even more impressive this year, boasting 8-1 and 7-2 records in conference singles, respectively, to lead the team. Senior Stefanie Wilske anchors the bottom third of the lineup.
 
But what really anchors UTRGV's success is the stellar doubles play. The great team chemistry and consistent drilling done in practice helped the Vaqueros claim the doubles point in 13 matches this season, resulting in a 12-1 record in that situation. 
 
With doubles opening matches, the Vaqueros are able to put themselves in the driver's seat with the doubles point, and they're aiming to do exactly that as they chase a tournament championship and the automatic qualifier bid to the NCAA Tournament. Nott credited assistant coach Ekaterina Vorobeva for helping the team work on pressure situations to be mentally prepared for the upcoming task. 
 
"We've hung our hat on winning the doubles point all year because when we win the doubles point there's a good chance we'll come out on the winning side," Nott said. "We've also been doing pressure situational stuff. Sometimes the margins are so small in college tennis, so we've been focusing a lot on who can win the next two out of three points and put a little consequence on it. Hopefully we come through in the stressful situations and it pays off." 

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