RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros women's tennis program is set to host the University of Texas Permian Basin (UTPB) Falcons Thursday at Orville Cox Tennis Center.
Last Time Out
UTRGV dropped its first two matches of Southland Conference play, 4-3, to Northwestern State (NSU) and Stephen F. Austin (SFA).
Against NSU, the Vaqueros claimed the doubles point with wins on courts two and three. On court three, junior
Hitakamya Narwal and sophomore
Mariia Bakhtina clinched the point in a decisive tiebreaker 7-6 (7-4). Meanwhile, on court two, sophomore
Luna Buijtenhuijs and senior
Valentina Urraco delivered a dominant performance on court two, defeating
Pika Doberlet and
Maria Farina, 6-1.
In singles play, UTRGV picked up wins on courts two and four as Narwal secured the first win for the Vaqueros on court two, a 6-2, 6-3 win over
Athina Grigoriadou. On court four, Buijtenhuijs defeated
Pika Doberlet in straight sets, 6-3, 6-3.
Against Stephen F. Austin, UTRGV once again claimed the doubles point with wins on court two and three. Bakhtina and Narwal cruised to a 6-2 victory while Buijtenhuijs and Urraco pulled out a hard-fought 6-4 win.
In singles play, senior
Barbara Martinez evened the match at 1-1 as she earned a solid win in the No. 1 flight, earning a 7-5, 6-1 win. Junior
Rhea Makesar picked up a tough 7-6 (7:3), 6-1 win on court four.
Buijtenhuijs jumped out to a 3-1 lead in her second set in the fifth flight, and Urraco held a 3-2 lead in a must-win second on Court 6. Despite a lack of rhythm in the set due to frequent protests from SFA, Buijtenhuijs stayed focused and maintained her momentum to earn a 7-6 (7:2), 6-4 win, knotting the match at 3-3.
SFA clinched the match with the win on court six.
Scouting the Falcons
The Vaqueros will take on the Falcons at 11 a.m. Thursday at the Orville Cox Tennis Center. UTRGV is 2-0 all-time against UTPB, which includes a 6-1 win in 2025.
UTPB, an NCAA Div. II institution and member of the Lone Star Conference, is 2-7 on the season with wins over Southwest Baptist University and Colorado State University-Pueblo.
Two Falcons have a team-high four wins in singles play this season.
Fanny Bergstrom is 4-2, with a 3-1 record at No. 3 singles and one win at No. 2. Meanwhile,
Mattea Bowe is 4-3 on the season with a 4-2 record on court four.
All matches at Orville Cox Tennis Center are free and open to the public.
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