HOUSTON – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros women's tennis team traveled to the Barbara Wallace Winston Tennis Facility Friday and took down the Houston Cougars, 4-3, in thrilling fashion behind a massive clinch by sophomore
Yaiza Vazquez.
Vazquez had to grind in a tight No. 4 match against
Sonya Kovalenko. The sophomore won a tough first set, 7-6 (7:2), then dropped the second set, 4-6. Vazquez and Kovalenko exchanged games in a back-and-forth frame that grew in its intensity until they were knotted at 5-5.
As Kovalenko took a 6-5 lead, UTRGV (3-1) junior
Kristal Dule tied the match at 3-3 with a comeback win at No. 5, making Vazquez's match that much more crucial. The sophomore showed great resiliency to force a tiebreaker at 6-6. With the tiebreaker tied at 4:4 and the match coming down to the wire, Vazquez took over the bout, winning the last three points to send her team into a frenzy as she won, 7-6 (7:4) and secured the victory for the Vaqueros – their first ever win against Houston (1-2), a Power Five program.
The Cougars jumped on top, 1-0, after sweeping the doubles session. They grew their lead to 3-0 with straight-set wins in the second and third singles matches.
The Vaqueros didn't falter despite playing from behind. They showed incredible mental toughness across all remaining courts to record their second win this season after dropping the doubles point.
Sophomore
Valentina Urraco got UTRGV on the board with a solid win at No. 6, quickly taking her match 6-4, 6-3.
Junior
Marjorie Souza battled in a competitive No. 1 match against
Laura Slisane. Souza won the first set, 6-3, but Slisane came back to take the second, 6-0. They swapped blows in a tight third set, finding themselves knotted at 5-5. Needing a win to keep UTRGV's hopes alive, Souza buckled down and took control, holding on to win 7-5 and cut the deficit to 3-2.
Dule tied things up as she continued the spectacular start to her UTRGV career. She fought back impressively after dropping the opening set of her No. 5 match, 3-6, and outdueled
Gabriela Cortes in the second, pulling off a 7-5 win. Dule kept that momentum rolling into the third, opening up a 3-1 lead and cruising down the stretch to make it 3-3 with a 6-4 third-set win. She is now 4-0 on the season.
UTRGV was scheduled to play Saturday at Prairie View A&M, but the match was canceled on Friday due to expected rains in the area.
The Vaqueros have a pair of home matches upcoming on Feb. 17 and 18 against UTEP and Incarnate Word, respectively, at the Orville Cox Tennis Center. Admission is free and the community is encouraged to attend.
Complete Results
Doubles (1, 2, 3)
1. Sofia Schouten/Sonya Kovalenki (UH) def.
Lea Karren/
Marjorie Souza (UTRGV) 6-1
2. Laura Slisane/Maria Dzemeschkevich (UH) def.
Kristal Dule/
Yaiza Vazquez (UTRGV) 6-3
3. Blanca Cortijo Parreno/Gabriela Cortes (UH) def.
Isabelle Bahr/
Valentina Urraco (UTRGV) 6-3
Singles (2, 3, 6, 1, 5, 4)
1.
Marjorie Souza (UTRGV) def. Laura Slisane (UH) 6-3, 0-6, 7-5
2. Maria Dzemeschkevich (UH) def.
Lea Karren (UTRGV) 6-1, 6-2
3. Sofie Schouten (UH) def.
Isabelle Bahr (UTRGV) 6-4, 6-4
4.
Yaiza Vazquez (UTRGV) def. Sonya Kovalenko (UH) 7-6 (7:2), 4-6, 7-6 (7:4)
5.
Kristal Dule (UTRGV) def. Gabriela Cortes (UH) 3-6, 7-5, 6-4
6.
Valentina Urraco (UTRGV) def. Nina Skoric (UH) 6-4, 6-3
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