RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros women's tennis program is returning home to host Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (TAMUCC) for the second leg of the South Texas Showdown, presented by Rally Credit Union.
 
Last Time Out
 
Last week, the Vaqueros went 1-1, defeating UT Permian Basin (UTPB), 5-2, at home and falling to Tarleton, 6-1, in a neutral-site matchup in Austin.
 
In the first match, UTRGV swept a four-court doubles session, earning dominant wins of 6-0 on courts two and four, 6-1 on court three, and 6-2 on court one.
 
In singles play, senior Barbara Martinez cruised to a 6-1, 6-3 win on court one to pick up the first point for the Vaqueros. Meanwhile, on court four, sophomore Mariia Bakhtina dominated in the first 6-0 before winning a back-and-forth second set, 6-4 to push the overall score to 3-0.
 
Senior Valentina Urraco clinched the match for UTRGV in a 6-1, 6-3 win on court five. Junior Rhea Makesar rounded out the scoring for the Vaqueros, winning a tight 6-2, 2-6, 1-0 (10:6) battle on court three.
 
Meanwhile, against Tarleton, Martinez earned her team-high fourth win of the season, defeating Maria Castano 6-3, 6-4 to earn the Vaqueros lone point of the evening. Martinez is now riding a three-match win streak on court one with wins against Stephen F. Austin, UTPB, and Tarleton.
 
The Vaqueros showed tons of fight on the middle courts, forcing ultra-competitive sets. On court three, sophomore Hitakamya Narwal was defeated in a back-and-forth match 7-5, 7-6 (7:2). On court four, Makesar fell 6-4, 7-5, and on court five, sophomore Luna Buijtenhuijs pushed her opponent in a grind-it-out match that lasted exactly two hour, but ultimately lost, 6-4, 7-6 (7:3).
 
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi – March 21, 10 a.m. – Orville Cox Tennis Center – Edinburg, Texas
 
The Vaqueros will host Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in the second round of the South Texas Showdown, presented by Rally Credit Union, Saturday at 10 a.m. UTRGV is 3-41 all-time against TAMUCC with its last win coming in 2018. In their most recent matchup on Feb. 11, the Islanders came away with a 6-1 win in Corpus Christi.
 
UTRGV battled in that matchup as the duo of Buijtenhuijs and Urraco earned a 6-4 win on court three during the doubles session and Bakhtina picked up a dominant 6-1, 6-3 win on court five in singles.
 
TAMUCC, a fellow member of the Southland Conference, is 12-2 this season and 2-1 in conference play. The Islanders are 3-2 in their last five matches after starting the year 9-0.
 
This match will be counted for the conference standings as the previous match was considered a non-conference matchup for the two squads.
 
The first 50 fans in attendance will receive free #BeatCorpus t-shirts and fans will receive free breakfast tacos, while supplies last, courtesy of LuAnn Alexander Tennis Academy. All matches at the Orville Cox Tennis Center are free and open to the public. Fans can also follow along through live results.
 
The South Texas Showdown, presented by Rally Credit Union
 
The South Texas Showdown, presented by Rally Credit Union, is an annual rivalry between UTRGV and TAMUCC that spans across 14 sports for the right to hoist the championship trophy.
 
UTRGV is looking for its first victory in the showdown since the 2022-23 athletic year. The Vaqueros currently lead 24.5-19.5 with six points up for grabs on Saturday, three for the women's tennis match and three for the men's tennis match that will follow shortly after.
 
With 60 allotted points for the showdown, the men's and women's tennis programs account for 12 total points, six for each program across their two respective matches.

Support UTRGV Women's Tennis | Become a Fan on Facebook | Follow us on Twitter | Follow us on Instagram | Follow us on YouTube