Daniela Chapa-Reyes 
PHOTO COURTESY UTRGV ATHLETICS
The short, fall season for UTRGV Women’s Tennis is coming to an end, having wrapped up five out of six tournaments this semester.
Head coach West Nott said the girls have worked hard this fall.
“We’ve really ramped up the fitness of the team,” Nott said. “We have a lot of returners, so they kind of know the landscape of how we do things. There have been some positive results in the tournaments, but we’ve also been playing some pretty stiff competition.”
The team competed in the Southland Conference Fall Championship in Natchitoches, Louisiana, Thursday through Saturday. As of press time Friday, results were unavailable.
“This is an individual tournament where the top player from each team plays against the top player from the other teams in the conference,” Nott said. “We drew [Texas A&M University]-Corpus Christi in the first round of singles and doubles. That’s the [team] we got to get through to perform well in the conference. I feel like it’s going to be a tough match.”
Sophomore Mariia Bakhtina and junior Rhea Makesar competed in the doubles draw during the SLC Fall Championship. Makesar said they have been training hard for the remaining matches.
“We played a lot more together now in practice, which we hadn’t done at the start,” she said. “I think that connection is back, and I’m really hungry for the Southland Conference. … I think that will help.”
During the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Texas Regional Championship in Fort Worth, Bakhtina and Makesar fell on the second day of the tournament 8-4 up against Rice University. The duo fell again to Rice on the final day of the tournament 8-3 during the consolation draw. Bakhtina said it was still a good score.
“We tried to play the same,” she said. “We tried to beat them, but they were better that day. We work hard, and we try to do everything.”
Makesar said her playing style is aggressive.
“If I can overpower them, I will,” she said. “Otherwise, you just have to adapt. I kinda just go into it, setting up the point so high, deep balls get it on the back fence. And I can play my own game and just try to be as solid as possible.”
Senior Yaiza Vazquez competed in the singles draw for the SLC Fall Championship. Vazquez’s last tournament was at the Rice University Invitational in September, where she was defeated 6-4, 6-2. She said she was injured after that match.
“It was just recovery and come back as soon as possible and as healthy as possible,” Vazquez said. “Sometimes, it is not a 100%, but I make as much as I can with what I have.”
The team will next compete Nov. 6 through 9 at the Baylor University Invitational in Waco. Visit goutrgv.com for more information.
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