HOUSTON & KINGSVILLE – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros women's tennis team opened the fall season Friday for day one of the Rice Invitational and Javelina Jam.
 
The pair consisting of junior McAllen High alum Giuliana Castelain and senior Valentina Urraco picked up the Vaqueros lone win in doubles at the Javelina Jam with an 8-7 (7-2) victory over Texas A&M-Kingsville's (TAMUK) Kaitlin Blount and Guadalupe Tocci.
 
In singles, junior Rhea Makesar picked up a comeback win in the first round of Flight 5 at the Rice Invitational, downing UT San Antonio's Ayra Salim from 3-6, 6-2, 6-2.
 
At the Javelina Jam, the Vaqueros excelled in singles as Urraco, sophomore Luna Buijtenhuijs, and Castelain picked up wins in Flights A, B, and C, respectively. Urraco battled through a 10-point tiebreaker to down TAMUK's Maya Donkor, 6-2, 2-6, 1-0 (10-6).
 
Buijtenhuijs dispatched Andrea Landaeta from TAMUK in straight sets, winning 6-1, 6-2 while Castelain defeated the Javelinas' Kaitlin Blount 6-1, 6-1 to earn swift straight-set victories.
 
The Vaqueros will continue their run at both the Rice Invitational and Javelina Jam tomorrow as play is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m.
 
Rice Invitational Friday Results
Doubles
Flight 1
Marina Adati/Carolina Laydner (UNT) def. Mariia Bakhtina/Rhea Makesar (UTRGV) 7-6 (7-4)
Celine Absawi/Valeria Sanchez (UTSA) def. Mariia Bakhtina/Rhea Makesar (UTRGV) 6-2
 
Flight 2
Natalia Casteneda Guerrero/Laia Tarazona Peyro (UTSA) def. Madeleine Joffe/Yaiza Vazquez (UTRGV) 6-3
Anamaria Kurtsikashvili/Jacequeline Schnabel (SHSU) def. Madeleine Joffe/Yaiza Vazquez (UTRGV) 6-4
 
Singles
Flight 2
Carolina Laydner (UNT) def. Yaiza Vazquez (UTRGV) 6-1, 6-2
 
Flight 5
Pia Petelinsek (UNT) def. Madeleine Joffe (UTRGV) 4-6, 7-6 (7-2), 6-1
Rhea Makesar (UTRGV) def. Ayra Salim (UTSA) 3-6, 6-2, 6-2
 
Flight 6
Celine Absawi (UTSA) def. Mariia Bakhtina (UTRGV) 6-4, 6-4
 
 
Javelina Jam Friday Results
Doubles
Flight A
Yana Mykytyn/Kseniya Ramanouskaya (AMCC) def. Luna Buijtenhuijs/Hitakamya Narwal (UTRGV) 8-6
Maya Donkor/Lilly-Isabelle Muraske (TAMUK) def. Luna Buijtenhuijs/Hitakamya Narwal (UTRGV) 8-7 (7-4)
 
Flight B
Josefa Fuenzalida/Adriana Jimenez Casado (AMCC) def. Giuliana Castelain/Valentina Urraco (UTRGV) 8-3
Giuliana Castelain/Valentina Urraco (UTRGV) def. Kaitlin Blount/Guadalupe Tocci (TAMUK) 8-7 (7-2)

Singles
Flight A
Yana Mykytyn (AMCC) def. Hitakamya Narwal (UTRGV) 6-2, 6-2
Valentina Urraco (UTRGV) def. Maya Donkor (TAMUK) 6-2, 2-6, 1-0 (10-6)
 
Flight B
Luna Buijtenhuijs (UTRGV) def. Andrea Landaeta (TAMUK) 6-1, 6-2
 
Flight C
Giuliana Castelain (UTRGV) def. Kaitlin Blount (TAMUK) 6-1, 6-1
 
Rice Invitational Saturday Schedule
Doubles
Flight 1
Mariia Bakhtina/Rhea Makesar (UTRGV) vs. Aaliyah Hohmann/Nayuma Subba (SHSU)
 
Flight 2
Madeleine Joffe/Yaiza Vazquez (UTRGV) vs. Ella Fitcher/Sara Sadadinovic (SHSU)
 
Singles
Flight 2
Yaiza Vazquez (UTRGV) vs. Natalie Stasny (SMU)
 
Flight 5
Rhea Makesar (UTRGV) vs. Daniela Chica (Rice)
Madeleine Joffe (UTRGV) vs. Milica Milosavljevic (UTSA)
 
Flight 6
Mariia Bakhtina (UTRGV) vs. Ella Fitcher (SHSU)
 
Javelina Jam Saturday Schedule
Singles
Flight A
Valentina Urraco (UTRGV) vs. Maya Donkor (TAMUK), 9 a.m.
Hitakamya Narwal (UTRGV) vs. Guadalupe Tocci (TAMUK), 11:30 a.m.
 
Flight B
Luna Buijtenhuijs (UTRGV) vs. Adriana Jimenez Casado (AMCC), 9 a.m.

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