CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros women's tennis program is set for their fall opener at the Jake Frederick Memorial Islander Open, hosted by Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (TAMUCC), at Thomas J. Henry Tennis Center.
 
Consistency, Motivation, and Hard Work
 
Those are the pillars of success that the women's tennis program is embracing as they enter the 2026-27 athletic year. This year, the program looks reenergized and ready to open the fall season.

"I think the big thing I see with the group is consistency all around," head women's tennis coach West Nott said. "Everyone's really engaged, motivated, and working extremely hard."
 
On top of the encouraging play on the court, Nott credits the Vaqueros' positivity and team-oriented mindset as they head into the new year. The program has reached the Southland Conference (SLC) Tournament the last two seasons, but it's still searching for the foothold to climb into the top ranks of the SLC.
 
"I think when you mix everything together, there's a good chance of some positive things in the near future," Nott said. "We have some new players that I think can make a massive impact in this conference. So now it's just a matter of executing and I do think other teams will take notice of their skill level."
 
The Vaqueros added five to the 2026-27 roster, including standout sophomore Mariangel Estrella, who is coming off a stellar freshman season at East Tennessee State (ETSU).
 
Estrella helped the Buccaneers reach the NCAA Tournament after winning the Southern Conference (SoCon) Tournament Championship. Estrella ended the year on an 18-match singles win streak and played at No. 1 doubles for a majority of the year, earning SoCon Tournament Most Outstanding Player, All-SoCon First Team in doubles, and All-SoCon Freshman Team.
 
"Mariangel is just as tough as a bulldog out on the court," Nott said. "There are no easy points against her because she plays incredible defense. She's very fast, mentally tough, and a very accurate player with a great serve."
 
Alongside Estrella, the Vaqueros brought in two other NCAA DI transfers to add to the already deep team from 2025-26. Junior Juana Gomez Weiss and sophomore Charlotte Holmes will bring valuable experience to the team.
 
Weiss helped North Carolina A&T (NCAT) achieve the first double-digit win season in program history and amassed winning records in both singles (8-4) and doubles (7-6) last season. Weiss will now look to help the Vaqueros reach new heights.
 
"All our newcomers have their own little spice to add to the team," Nott said. "In Juana's case, she has a lot of variety. She can hit with a ton of different spins and paces."
 
In addition to the NCAA DI transfers, UTRGV brings in two freshmen with tons of potential and grit in Bethania Bonaguro and Mirka Delaney. Bonaguro is set to join the team in January; meanwhile, Delaney has already made strides throughout the young fall campaign.
 
"Mirka is feisty out there and a powerful player," Nott said. "She is very strong, physically, for her age as a freshman. She can definitely hurt you from any part of the court."
 
The Returning Core
 
Returning for the Vaqueros is junior Luna Buijtenhuijs who picked up a team-high 10 singles wins with a dominant 8-1 record in SLC play last year. She earned multiple wins at courts one, two, and three last season.
 
"Luna didn't miss a beat all summer," Nott said. "She picked up right where she left off and even tougher than before. So, I think she is super hungry to go and chase more; she's not complacent at all."
 
Alongside Buijtenhuijs, the Vaqueros bring back four seniors Giuliana Castelain, Madeleine Joffe, Rhea Makesar, and Hitakamya Narwal. The core of seniors has helped the newcomers hit the ground running in their first season with the program.
 
"Yeah, I think the returners have been really positive," Nott said. "Their efforts put us in a strong position for this first tournament and really the rest of the year."
 
Around the Corner
 
The program is looking forward to the fall season which includes two big opportunities for UTRGV to showcase its talent and growth to some of the best competitors across the SLC and across the nation in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Texas Regional and the SLC Fall Championships.
 
"I think there's huge opportunities this fall," Nott said. "We've been losing in three sets at the SLC Fall Championships the last few years, but we want to see if someone can take control of the situation and make the odds swing their way."
 
Nott is confident in the pieces that he has with the newcomers and the returners, but he is excited to see if they can reach their full potential. The first major test will be the SLC Fall Championships.
 
"If we keep having good practices and keep building confidence throughout the fall," Nott said. "But yeah, I would love to see us snag either a singles or doubles SLC Championship this fall or at least make the final."
 
But first, the Vaqueros have to prepare for their first tournament, the Jake Frederick Memorial Islander Open, which is set to run from Friday through Sunday. Joining UTRGV in the field are TAMUCC and UIW. All three teams compete in the SLC, so this will be the first piece of conference action for the newcomers and a chance for the returners to make their mark.
 
"It's really great to play outside competition," Nott said. "This is what we train for, to go out, play other people, and see how we stack up against great competition. This is why we get up in the morning."
 
Fans can follow along through the tournament page on the ITA website.
 
UTRGV Singles Flights
Flight A
Mariangel Estrella
Mirka Delaney
Luna Buijtenhuijs
Rhea Makesar
 
Flight B
Juana Gomez Weiss
Madeleine Joffe
Hitakamya Narwal
 
UTRGV Doubles
Luna Buijtenhuijs/Madeleine Joffe
Rhea Makesar/Hitakamya Narwal
Mariangel Estrella/Juana Gomez Weiss
 
Support UTRGV Women's Tennis | Become a Fan on Facebook | Follow us on Twitter | Follow us on Instagram | Follow us on YouTube