RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) women's tennis program faced tough competition around the state of Texas, in a very competitive 2025 fall season.
 
A team that saw nine returners on the tennis court that traveled to fall tournaments hosted by teams among the likes of Baylor (BU), Rice, and Texas State (TXST) this fall.
 
Senior Barbara Martinez had a late start to the fall but showed out for the Vaqueros at the H-E-B Invitational. Martinez prevailed in a 7-6 (7-5), 5-7, 1-0 (10-5) three-set battle against BU's Luna Ivkovic. The next day, she prevailed in three sets once again to defeat Elizabeth Isyanov from Illinois (UI), 2-6, 6-4, 1-0 (10-8).

"Barbara came in after taking a few springs off and really shined for us," Nott said. "She was great during the fall earning wins against good competition from teams like Baylor and Illinois. She will be a good addition for our team this year."
 
Junior Hitakamya Narwal finished a stellar fall season with a 4-3 singles record. Narwal's most impressive victory came at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Texas Regional qualifying round of 64 when she defeated Stephen F. Austin's Antonella Taco Villarreal 6-4, 5-7, 6-4.
 
Sophomore Luna Buijtenhuijs tallied a team-high five wins in the fall, showcasing her potential and earning straight-set victories over opponents from Denver, Kansas State (KSU), Texas A&M-Kingsville, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (TAMUCC), and TXST. Buijtenhuijs and junior Madeleine Joffe teamed up to earn a big victory over the UI duo of Ariel Madatelli and Rose Seccia 6-4.
 
"Luna was probably our most improved player during this fall," "She really took the advice and coaching that we gave her during the summer and has improved her game throughout the fall. Now it's about finishing strong and continuing that improvement through the spring."
 
Sophomore Mariia Bakhtina continued to build off a strong freshman campaign, ending the fall with four wins which included a dominant 6-1, 6-0 win over Simryn Jacob from Kansas (KU). Bakhtina also earned two singles victories over opponents from UT San Antonio and defeated Southland foe Martina Acebedo Bonocore 6-3, 6-4 from Northwestern State.
 
Vazquez showed off her resilience on the court in an eventful fall, battling through injuries to defeat the No. 4 Josefa Fuenzalida from TAMUCC at the Southland Conference Fall Championships. Vazquez also teamed up with Martinez to defeat KSU's Martaa Chogsomjav and Margaret Jaraczewski 6-2.
 
"Yaiza was great at the SLC Championships, it's always great to beat a rival from Corpus," Nott said. "She didn't really have a lot of momentum going in due to injuries, but her ability to overcome that and pull out a win against a rival was great."
 
Senior Valentina Urraco also shined for the Vaqueros during the fall, marking the fifth Vaquero to earn at least four wins this season. Urraco dominated in victories over Iowa State's Kira Smith 6-2, 6-1, TXST's Julia Richardet 6-1, 6-1, and Incarnate Word's McKenzy Byfield 6-0, 6-1. In doubles, Urraco also teamed up with Bakhtina to down KU's Natali Jaiani and Simryn Jacob 7-5.
 
The Vaqueros aim to carry the momentum captured during this fall season to improve on their fifth-place team finish in Southland play last season. With another year of experience under their belt, the Vaqueros are poised for a fun and eventful spring season.