HOUSTON – The UTSA women’s tennis team heads to Houston for a pair of matches this weekend, including a Friday match against the Houston Cougars at 1 p.m. and a Saturday match against the Rice Owls at 11 a.m.
UTSA has placed No. 61 in the ITA Rankings this week – the program’s highest ranking ever and first ranking since 2003. The Roadrunners hold a 6-1 record just over a month into the season. UTSA is coming off their first loss, a 4-0 matchup against Mountain West powerhouse UNLV. UTSA has continued to dominate in doubles action, earning a 15-3 record, to go along with a 25-9 singles advantage.
Freshmen Ekua Youri leads the Roadrunners with a 5-1 singles record. Behind her, No. 1 Aleksandra Zlatarova, No. 2 Fatima Gutierrez and No. 3 Vittoria Baccino have collected four wins apiece. Baccino, a freshman from Italy, has proven that she can battle through adversity as four of her opponents have taken her to a third set and she has won 75 percent of them. Zlatarova and Cassie McLay have posted an undefeated 5-0 record at the top doubles spot.
Houston has a 1-3 record so far this season, following a 4-2 loss to Louisiana Tech on Feb. 12. The Cougars are currently on a three-match losing streak. Last season, the Roadrunners won their first match against the Cougars in program history with a 5-2 win on April 9. Sophie Schouten leads the team with three wins in both singles and doubles action.
Rice is 2-5 on the season, after a 7-0 loss to Texas A&M on Feb. 18. The Owls hold a 24-0 record over the Roadrunners in the all-time series dating back to 1982. The teams last played on March 3, 2023, when the Owls fought back from a deficit to win the match, 4-3. No. 1 player Federica Trevisan holds a 4-3 record in singles play and 2-2 record in doubles action with Chie Kezuka.
The Roadrunners head to Denton, Texas, for a trio of matches next weekend. UTSA will face North Texas on March 2 at 11 a.m., before a couple of neutral site matches on March 3 against Tyler JC at 9 a.m. and Cowley CC at 1 p.m.
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