SAN MARCOS, Texas – The UTSA women’s tennis team battled through an intense matchup with Texas State on Saturday, prevailing by 4-3 over the Bobcats.
With the win, the Roadrunners have won their last eight matchups against the Bobcats, dating back to the 2016 season. UTSA also extends its season opening winning streak to three games.
The Roadrunners quickly took a 1-0 advantage, sweeping the Bobcats in doubles action. The pairing of Fatima Gutierrez and Ekua Youri started things off with a 6-2 win over Callie Creath and Sofia Fortuno at court two. At the third court, Magda Tuells and Vittoria Baccino clinched the doubles point by taking down Kiana Graham and Emily Niers by 6-3. Cassie McLay and Aleksandra Zlatarova completed the sweep by overcoming the duo of Jadeh Chan/Mae McCutcheon by 7-5 at the top spot.
The Bobcats battled back in singles action, taking the Roadrunners to three sets in the top four of the six courts. Texas State evened the scored at 1-1 with a win at court five. At court six, Tuells defeated McCutcheon by sets of 7-5 and 6-3 to regain the UTSA advantage. The Bobcats took their first lead of the match, after winning the fourth and first courts, respectively, to go up 3-2. Baccino battled through three sets (6-3, 3-6, 6-3) with Creath at the third court, ultimately prevailing to tie the score at 3-3.
At the second court, Gutierrez withstood a three-set battle with Niers. She won the first set by 7-6 (3), before Niers took set two by 6-4. The sophomore from Zapopan, Mexico, has come in clutch before, clinching the winning fourth point for UTSA in every match this season thus far. She did exactly that as she won the last set by 6-2, leading UTSA to a 4-3 triumph over Texas State.
The Roadrunners improve to a 3-0 record, while the Bobcats fall to 0-2 on the season.
Quoting Coach Ki Kroll
"Amazing fight from the ladies today. It was a very competitive match and we overcame a lot of adversity throughout the match. We are looking forward to working on a few things this week to get ready for our upcoming match against UIW.”
Doubles Results (UTSA 1, TXST 0)
Order of Finish: 2, 3,1
1. Aleksandra Zlatarova/Cassie McLay def. Jadeh Chan/Mae McCutcheon: 7-5
2. Fatima Gutierrez/Ekua Youri def. Callie Creath/Sofia Fortuno: 6-2
3. Vittoria Baccino/Magda Tuells def. Kiana Graham/Emily Niers: 6-3
Singles Results (UTSA 3, TXST 3)
Order of Finish: 5, 6, 4, 1, 3, 2
1. Kiana Graham def. Aleksandra Zlatarova: 6-4, 1-6, 6-3
2. Fatima Gutierrez def. Emily Niers: 7-6 (3), 4-6, 6-2
3. Vittoria Baccino def. Callie Creath: 6-3, 3-6, 6-3
4. Sofia Fortuno def. Ekua Youri: 6-4, 2-6, 6-2
5. Andrea Pineda def. Cassie McLay: 6-3, 6-0
6. Magda Tuells def. Mae McCutcheon: 7-5, 6-3
Up Next
The Roadrunners will return to San Antonio to face UIW across town at the Cardinals’ Mabry Tennis Center on Feb. 3 at 11 a.m.
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