Playing for every point

The UTRGV Women’s Tennis Team is ready to ace its way into the spring season after strengthening their mental and physical game during the fall. 

The Vaqueras open the season with a doubleheader against Weatherford starting at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Orville I. Cox Tennis Center in Edinburg. 

Head coach West Nott told The Rider that every match is big but the team is excited for the first match of the season. 

“This is what we do every day,” Nott said. “So, to get out there and compete and train and, you know, measure ourselves against the other teams. So, yeah, we’re really looking forward to it.”

The head coach who started with UTRGV in Fall 2019, said it’s good to finally have a full year of tennis to build rapport within the team and become consistent day-to-day. 

During the fall, the Vaqueras competed in four tournaments. Two Islander Open tournaments at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, the Javelina Invitational at Texas A&M Kingsville and the Texas State Play Day at Texas State University. 

“I’m really proud of the work they’ve put in,” Nott said. “Just, you know, talking about all the things we’ve been trying to practice over the years, and I think it’s finally starting to come together.”

Maturity is something he wanted the team to focus on since day one of the fall semester.

“We want the good emotions, the positive ones … especially in a stressful moment,” Nott said. “So, we’re trying to do that every day in practice, and then hopefully, when the pressure comes in the real matches, we’re able to handle it.”

Senior Ana Plasita describes herself as an emotional player but has worked on her mental game last fall to better handle it.

“If I don’t react at all, it’s not good for me,” Plasita said. “But also, if I react too much, that’s also not good for me. So, somewhere in the middle … that’s good.”

Another senior, Alicia Thal said she also worked on the mental components of her game last fall. 

“I got tougher at, like, focusing on the very next point instead of the big picture,” Thal said. “Just to enjoy the journey and, like, compete for every single point. So, yeah, in the tournaments that paid off.” 

Nott said all of his players have improved their mentality. 

“I mean, we’ve had a few injuries, but I think from a mental standpoint, like, we’re really solid right now,” Nott said. “And so, that gives me a lot of confidence that we’re gonna hopefully do some good things in the spring.” 

The second focus of the team was getting fit in the gym in preparation for the spring season. 

Senior Katarina Sasaroga, All-(Western Athletic Conference) Honorable Mention, said she is nervous, in a good way, and wants her last year to be her best year.

Having some injuries here and there, Sasaroga said she and the team have been working out a lot in the weight room, on conditioning and it has prepared them for what is coming. 

“I saw everybody getting stronger,” she said. “And, like, with that came, like, a lot of confidence. We played, like, a lot of drills and a lot of obviously boring stuff but it pays off.” 

Nott said the extra work the team put in outside of practice shows they are a passionate, self-motivated group and it will pay off throughout the season. 

All-WAC Honorable Mention sophomore Lea Karren said giving it her all for every match and playing good players has given the team confidence to play teams they struggled against last year. 

“I had some really tough matches in the fall,” Karren said. “So, I feel it helped me build my confidence and get ready for the spring. And the team, I think we’re all so much stronger and we have a good chemistry between all of the girls.”

After the home doubleheader, the team has 12 matches in February. The stretch kicks off at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi and ends at home against Texas A&M Kingsville. 

The Vaqueras start conference play March 19 at Sam Houston State University.

“We got a lot of matches coming up this spring so, it’s a lot of opportunity for the players,” Nott said. “And I think this is what it’s all about, getting out there and competing. The training days are fun, but the match days are what it’s all about.”

Thal encourages UTRGV students to come out and support them for their home opener. 

“We’re a fun team with lots of energy, so we want to hear you out there in the stands,” she said. 

Karren said the good thing about collegiate tennis is that there could be six matches happening at the same time. With all that noise, it allows fans in the stands to cheer as loud as they want compared to traditional tennis.

The WAC Tournament starts April 22 in Beaumont, Texas. 

“I mean, last year, you know, we got to the semifinals of the WAC and that was fun to be in the mix there,” Nott said. “And we just want to see if we can match that or do better. I think the conference is more competitive moving forward, so yeah, it’s definitely going to be tough.”