EDINBURG, Texas (Tennis) – Freshman
Madi Gomez dominated in her collegiate debut as the Baytown, Texas native picked up a 6-3, 6-0 victory in singles No. 6 Sunday at the Orville I. Cox Tennis Center. The No. 42 Texas A&M University-Kingsville Javelinas (0-1) dropped its season opening match, 6-1, to the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (2-3), a Division I program competing in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC).
Gomez's win in flight No. 6 was the first time a true freshman earned a singles win in her spring debut since
Ashlea Rosenbaum blanked Texas Lutheran University's Caitlin Dees, 6-0, 6-0, on Feb. 22, 2014.
The Javelinas went into singles play trailing 1-0 following a clean doubles sweep by the Vaqueros.
Mariaxi Herrera and
Marija Dimitrovska, No. 20 in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) South Central Region doubles rankings, fell in doubles No. 1, 6-1,
Nadia Grlj and
Martina Urrutia came up close in doubles No. 2, 6-4, and Gomez and
Erika Larrea nearly defeated Julia Perez and Tara Donaho in No. 3, 7-5.
In singles play, Dominque Esparza defeated Dimitrovska (No. 20 in ITA South Central Region singles) in flight No. 2, 6-2, 6-2, and Donaho upended Urrutia in No. 5, 6-2, 6-3. Grlj was a hair shy of taking the first set but fell in singles No. 3, 7-5, 6-0, clinching the win for the Vaqueros. Gomez gave the Javelinas their first point of the match with a 6-3, 6-0 victory at No. 6. The reigning Lone Star Conference Newcomer of the Year Larrea almost forced a tiebreaking set but fell just short, 6-3, 7-5, in No. 4 and No. 10 (regionally) Herrera did force a third set and was determined to win the top singles flight. UTRGV was able to regain its momentum and take No. 1, 7-5, 4-6, 10-8.
The Javelinas take a week off before returning to the courts on Feb. 12 to take on the University of Arkansas Fort Smith at 12:30 p.m. in a neutral site match (Arlington).
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