HOUSTON – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros women's tennis team picked up four wins behind a strong morning of doubles play Saturday at the Rice Invitational. 
 
The duo of freshman Mariia Bakhtina and sophomore Rhea Makesar captured two wins in Flight 3. Bakhtina/Makesar defeated Rice's Valentina Ponce Serrano/Anushka Ashar 6-2 to start the day, then earned a 6-1 win over Valeriia Ivanovskaia/Maria Araoz-Gosn from UT Arlington. 
 
Junior Yaiza Vazquez and sophomore Madeleine Joffe also had a solid doubles win over a UTA pair, defeating Ioana Dumitrescu/Nika Novikova 6-2 in Flight 2. 
 
Sophomore Hitakamya Narwal recorded UTRGV's lone singles win to reach the Flight 5 West final. Narwal soundly defeated Nika Novikova from UTA, 6-1, 6-2. Vazquez, Makesar and Bakhtina battled in three-set singles matches but didn't come out on top. 
 
UTRGV will complete the Rice Invitational with singles matches starting Sunday at 9 a.m. at the George R. Brown Tennis Center. 
 
UTRGV Saturday Results
Doubles
Flight 2 West 
Ashlee Narker/Gabriela Felix da Silva (ISU) def. Yaiza Vazquez/Madeleine Joffe (UTRGV) 6-4
Yaiza Vazquez/Madeleine Joffe (UTRGV) def. Ioana Dumitrescu/Nika Novikova (UTA) 6-2 
 
Flight 3 (Round Robin) 
Mariia Bakhtina/Rhea Makesar (UTRGV) def. Valentina Ponce Serrano/Anushka Ashar (Rice) 6-2
Valeria Sanchez/Aoka Nagasawa (UTSA) def. Valentina Urraco/Hitakamya Narwal (UTRGV) 6-0
Mariia Bakhtina/Rhea Makesar (UTRGV) def. Valeriia Ivanovskaia/Maria Araoz-Gosn (UTA) 6-1
Alessia Tagliente/Emma Cohen (MSU) def. Valentina Urraco/Hitakamya Narwal (UTRGV) 6-0
 
Singles
Flight 4 Semifinals
Alessia Tagliente (MSU) def. Yaiza Vazquez (UTRGV) 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 
 
Flight 5 Semifinals 
Heta Nuutinen (UH) def. Madeleine Joffe (UTRGV) 6-3, 6-4 
 
Flight 6 Semifinals 
Emma Cohen (MSU) def. Rhea Makesar (UTRGV) 5-7, 6-4, 6-1 
 
Flight 4 West 
Anushka Ashar (Rice) def. Valentina Urraco (UTRGV) 6-1, 6-3 
 
Flight 5 West 
Hitakamya Narwal (UTRGV) def. Nika Novikova (UTA) 6-1, 6-2 
 
Flight 6 West 
Indi Patel (LSU) def. Mariia Bakhtina (UTRGV) 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 
 
UTRGV Sunday Schedule 
Singles
Flight 4 3-4 playoff 
Yaiza Vazquez (UTRGV) vs. Gabriela Cortes (UH), 9 a.m. 
 
Flight 4 South
Valentina Urraco (UTRGV) vs. Lauren Littell (BU), 9 a.m.
 
Flight 5 3-4 playoff 
Madeleine Joffe (UTRGV) vs. Jayna Clemens (MSU), 9 a.m.
 
Flight 5 West final
Hitakamya Narwal (UTRGV) vs. Brooke Thompson (BU), 9 a.m.
 
Flight 6 3-4 playoff 
Rhea Makesar (UTRGV) vs. Gabriela Felix da Silva (ISU) or Maria Araoz-Gosn (UTA), 9 a.m. 
 
Flight 6 South 
Mariia Bakhtina (UTRGV) vs. Carina Holguin (LSU), 9 a.m. 
 
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