RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros women's tennis head coach West Nott announced on Thursday five new additions to the roster for the 2024-25 year. 
 
Mariia Bakhtina, Luna Buijtenhuijs, Madeleine Joffe, Rhea Makesar and Hitakamya Narwal will be joining four returners on the Vaqueros roster for the upcoming fall and spring seasons. This recruiting class is a mix of freshmen and transfers and Nott expects the newcomers to quickly battle for spots in the lineup. 
 
"We have five new players coming in and we are really excited about the impact they are going to have on the program. They all love the game and know what it takes to be successful," Nott said. 
 
Bakhtina is a 6-0 freshman from Ekaterinburg, Russia majoring in graphic design. She was the doubles champion at the 2023 ITF J5 Tbilisi Tournament hosted in Georgia and the runner-up at the 2022 ITF J5 Yerevan Tournament hosted in Armenia. Nott said she has a strong serve and smooth groundstrokes off both wings and is looking forward to seeing her athleticism in action. 
 
Buijtenhuijs, a 5-5 freshman hailing from Lanton, France is majoring in multidisciplinary studies. Nott called the lefty a great athlete who moves well, is explosive out of the corners, and finishes aggressively around the net, which will be a valuable asset for doubles play. 
 
Joffe is a 5-9 sophomore transfer from Florida Gulf Coast. The Paris, France native helped FGCU notch a 14-10 overall record She was named an ITA Scholar-Athlete and appeared in five matches for FGCU, which reached the Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN) Tournament Championship match. Nott called Joffe a very skilled, strong player with a powerful serve and accurate, consistent groundstrokes. 
 
Makesar comes to UTRGV after playing one season at South Florida. The 5-2 sophomore from Perth, Australia will be studying biology/exercise science with a goal to attend medical school. She appeared in six matches in the 2024 dual match season for USF. Makesar was a three-time captain of the Western Australia State Team and was a member of the 2020 Australian Junior Team. Nott said the lefty is very skilled who attacks and delivers darts around the court. 
 
Narwal, a 5-2 sophomore hailing from Haryana, India, comes to UTRGV after playing one season at South Dakota. She held an 8-3 overall singles record and went 10-5 in doubles to help South Dakota to runner-up finishes in the Summit League regular season and conference tournament. Narwall was a top-10 ranked player in India in the Under-16 and U-18 categories and was a top-25 ranked women's player. She was recognized by South Dakota's business school for her academic success in 2023-24. Nott called Narwal a gritty player who can adjust to a variety of situations. Another lefty, she has the ability to place balls accurately and consistently into tight windows. 
 
"Mariia brings a big smile to the team atmosphere and I really believe she will thrive in the team environment and play with a lot of pride. Luna is willing to go the distance to make life tough on her opponents and will be a great asset for our team. Madeleine's strength will be the mental intangibles she brings to the table with her mindset and ability to process information under pressure. Rhea is an extremely hard worker who is professional in her process and will add a lot of value to our team culture. Hitakamya is always thinking on the court, is very team oriented and will be a tough player who elevates those around her," Nott said. "We have a lot of hard work to do to build our team culture. This will be a big fall for us and we can't wait to jump on the court and get to work with this group."

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