Texas Border Business
PRAIRIE VIEW – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros women’s tennis team got its redemption Saturday by earning a 4-3 road victory over the Prairie View A&M (PVAMU) Panthers.
UTRGV (3-1) endured what head coach West Nott called brutal conditions to improve its winning streak to three matches. The outing was scheduled to be a doubleheader, but the cold and windy weather caused both teams to cancel the second match.
Nott mixed up the doubles pairings, but it didn’t stop the Vaqueros from continuing to dominate the doubles courts. They took a 1-0 lead after freshman Barbara Martinez and senior Katarina Sasaroga handily won their No. 2 match 6-0. The dynamic duo of senior Sandra Putz and junior Kristyna Mamicova kept on rolling, clinching the point with a 6-4 victory in the No. 3 spot.
Martinez’s solid day continued in singles action as she picked up a 6-0, 6-1 win in her No. 3 match to put UTRGV up 2-0. PVAMU (0-8) tied the match at 2-2 as Salma Sanchez and Gabrielle Leslie won in the No. 6 and No. 1 spots, respectively.
Sasaroga regained UTRGV’s edge. She earned a hard-fought 7-6 (5) win in set one of her No. 4 match, then took the second 6-1. Freshman Marjorie Souza secured the Vaqueros victory with a three-set battle in No. 2.
UTRGV’s next match is Feb. 15 at Texas A&M-Corpus Christ at 3 p.m. in the South Texas Showdown presented by Navy Army Community Credit Union.
Complete Results
Singles (3, 6, 1, 4, 2, 5)
1. Gabrielle Leslie (PVAMU) def. Lea Karren (UTRGV) 6-3, 7-5
2. Marjorie Souza (UTRGV) def. Victoria Fuenmayor Castillo (PVAMU) 6-3, 3-6, 6-1
3. Barbara Martinez (UTRGV) def. Ruju Chauhan (PVAMU) 6-0, 6-1
4. Katarina Sasaroga (UTRGV) def. Mahogani Green (PVAMU) 7-6 (5), 6-1
5. Claudia Islas Medina (PVAMU) def. Sandra Putz (UTRGV) 6-7 (9), 6-3, 10-7
6. Salma Sanchez (PVAMU) def. Alicia Thal (UTRGV) 6-3, 6-0
Doubles (2, 3, 1)
1. Mahogani Green/Victoria Fuenmayor Castillo (PVAMU) def. Lea Karren/Marjorie Souza (UTRGV) 6-4
2. Barbara Martinez/Katarina Sasaroga (UTRGV) def. Jada Hill/Ruju Chauhan (PVAMU) 6-0
3. Sandra Putz/Kristyna Mamicova (UTRGV) def. Salma Sanchez/Claudia Islas Medina (PVAMU) 6-4
