RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros women's tennis team is looking to bounce back into the win column Sunday as it hosts the Prairie View A&M (PVAMU) Panthers at 10 a.m. at the Orville Cox Tennis Center. 
 
UTRGV (1-1, 0-0 Southland Conference) is 18-2 all-time against the Panthers (0-9, 0-0 Southwestern Athletic Conference). These teams were scheduled to play each other last season, but the match was canceled due to inclement weather. The Vaqueros have won two in a row against PVAMU, including capturing a 5-2 win in 2023 when these teams last played in Edinburg. Junior Valentina Urraco, then a freshman, earned her first collegiate singles win in that contest. 
 
The Vaqueros are 1-0 at home early in the season after picking up a 6-1 win over Texas A&M-Kingsville in the season opener. UTRGV dropped a tough match at St. Mary's earlier this week and is eager to get back on track. Despite the recent success in the series, the Vaqueros aren't overlooking the Panthers. PVAMU got a 4-3 win in Edinburg back in 2021, and though it hasn't won this season, four of its last five losses came against the same team. 
 
Sophomore Rhea Makesar has a perfect record through two matches in her debut spring season at UTRGV. She has a pair of doubles wins in the top flight, partnering with freshman Mariia Bakhtina, to help the Vaqueros claim the doubles point in both contests this season. Makesar is also 2-0 in the No. 2 singles spot. 
 
The match is free and the community is encouraged to attend. It also kicks off a Sunday doubleheader at the Orville Cox Tennis Center as the men's teams from both universities will play following the conclusion of the women's match. 

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