RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros women's tennis program is excited to host the Northwestern State (NWST) Demons and Stephen F. Austin (SFA) Lumberjacks in their Southland Conference (SLC) opener this week at Orville Cox Tennis Center.
Last Time Out
UTRGV returned home for its match against Utah State. The Vaqueros fell 7-0 but battled on a handful of courts Thursday.
On court three, junior
Rhea Makesar went back-and-forth, trading service games and breaks, with
Natalie Paterova before entering a tiebreaker for the first set. Makesar pulled off a fantastic 8-6 win in the tiebreak. Paterova bounced back to win the second set, 6-2, before escaping with a 10-5 win in the deciding tiebreaker.
On court four, sophomore
Luna Buijtenhuijs lost the first set 6-2 but bounced back in a big way. Buijtenhuijs trailed
Maria Paula Ramos Garcia 3-2 in the second before knotting the set at 3-3 and breaking serve to take a 4-3 lead. They continued trading games with Buijtenhuijs taking the second set, 6-4. Ramos Garcia ended up winning the super tiebreaker, 10-3.
Northwestern State – Feb. 28, 1 p.m. – Orville Cox Tennis Center
The Vaqueros will open SLC play against Northwestern State at 1 p.m. Saturday at Orville Cox Tennis Center. All matches at Orville Cox Tennis Center are free and open to the public.
UTRGV is 0-9 all-time against the Demons with the latest matchup coming in 2025, a 5-2 win for NWST, in Natchitoches, La. In the last matchup, returner
Rhea Makesar picked up a 6-3, 4-6, 3-1 ret. win at No. 2 singles. The Vaqueros also picked up a win on court three.
NWST is 4-4 on the season with all wins coming over Xavier (La.), Jackson State, LSU-Shreveport, and Tyler Junior College. The Demons are riding a two-match losing streak, falling in sweeps to South Alabama and Tarleton.
Leading the way for the Demons is
Martina Acebedo who has achieved a combined record of 5-1 with three wins on court three and two wins on court four. In singles, the Demons have winning records on courts two, three, and five this year.
Meanwhile, in doubles, the Demons have winning records on courts two and three.
Stephen F. Austin – March 2, 11 a.m. – Orville Cox Tennis Center
The Vaqueros will turn around to battle Stephen F. Austin at 11 a.m. Monday at Orville Cox Tennis Center. All matches at Orville Cox Tennis Center are free and open to the public.
UTRGV is 5-16 all-time against the Lumberjacks with the latest matchup coming in 2025, a 6-1 win for SFA, in Nacogdoches. However, four of UTRGV's wins has come in the last 10 matches, including a 5-2 win in Nacogdoches in 2024. In their last match in Edinburg, UTRGV won 4-3 in 2023.
SFA is still looking for their first win of the season as they currently sit at 0-4 this season with all losses coming against NCAA DI competition. The Lumberjacks have matches scheduled against UTSA and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Feb. 27 and 28, respectively, before visiting UTRGV on March 2.
Leading the way for the Lumberjacks is
Sonja Rooth who has accumulated a perfect 4-0 record this season with two wins on courts two and three. Rooth earned SLC Player of the Week honors on Feb. 24.
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