SAN ANTONIO – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) women's tennis team battled, but ultimately fell, 4-3 to the University of The Incarnate Word (UIW) Cardinals Monday at Mabry Tennis Center.
UTRGV took the doubles point with a crushing 6-1 win on court three and a thrilling 7-5 victory on court two. The duo of seniors
Barbara Martinez and
Yaiza Vazquez battled on court two. Martinez and Vazquez took a 4-2 lead, but UIW knotted the set back at 4-4. They traded games, reaching 5-5, before Martinez and Vazquez broke in the final game of the set to clinch the doubles point.
On court three, the duo of sophomore
Mariia Bakhtina and junior
Hitakamya Narwal erupted to a 4-0 lead before their opponents took one game. Bakhtina and Narwal won the next two games to secure the first doubles win for the Vaqueros.
UTRGV's lead grew to 2-0 when Vazquez wrapped up another great performance, this time in singles on court two. Vazquez and
Amelia Perez-Corona played fast points with Vazquez showing off her speedy forehand and footwork to counter every attack Perez-Corona threw at her. Vazquez went up 5-2 early in the first before Perez-Corona cut the lead to 5-4. Vazquez served out a 6-4 set in the next game. In the second, Vazquez leapt to a 4-0 lead and the pair traded games until Vazquez won 6-2.
The Cardinals earned wins on courts one, three, and four to take a 3-2 lead over the Vaqueros.
Junior
Rhea Makesar earned a clutch 6-4 first set win before dropping the second set, 6-3 to force the deciding third-set. Makesar changed her strategy to keep Salcedo Franklin off balance and cruised to a dominant 6-0 win in the deciding set.
The Cardinals clinched the 4-3 victory with a win on court six.
The Vaqueros will round out return home for another conference swing, facing New Orleans at 10 a.m. Saturday and Nicholls at 11 a.m. Monday at Orville Cox Tennis Center. All matches at Orville Cox Tennis Center are free and open to the public.
Results
Doubles (3, 1, 2)
1. Estefania Gonzalez/Ine Lamprecht (UIW) def.
Luna Buijtenhuijs/
Rhea Makesar (UTRGV), 6-1
2.
Barbara Martinez/
Yaiza Vazquez (UTRGV) def. Amelie Montalvo/Victoria Jordana Salcedo Franklin (UIW), 7-5
3.
Mariia Bakhtina/Hitakamya Narwal (UTRGV) def. Amelia Perez-Corona/Alexandra Mille (UIW), 6-1
Singles (2, 3, 4, 1, 5, 6)
1.
Estefania Gonzalez (UIW) def. Barbara Martinez (UTRGV), 6-3, 7-5
2.
Yaiza Vazquez (UTRGV) def. Amelia Perez-Corona (UIW), 6-4, 6-2
3. Ine Lamprecht (UIW) def.
Hitakamya Narwal (UTRGV), 6-3, 6-2
4. Amelie Montalvo (UIW) def.
Luna Buijtenhuijs (UTRGV), 6-2, 6-3
5.
Rhea Makesar (UTRGV) def. Victoria Jordana Salcedo Franklin (UIW), 6-4, 3-6, 6-0
6. Alexandra Mille (UIW) def.
Mariia Bakhtina (UTRGV), 1-6, 6-3, 6-3
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