KINGSVILLE, Texas – Despite the unfavorable ending to the 2018 spring season, the Texas A&M-Kingsville women's tennis program had momentum on its side going into the fall schedule and came away with plenty to talk about.

The Javelinas took home the No. 45 spot in the final ITA Division-II Women's Rankings following a defeat at the hands of No. 14 MSU Texas in the Lone Star Conference Tournament Semifinal. Following the tournament, TAMUK had four individuals named to the All-LSC teams, with junior Valerie Ruiz (San Antonio, Texas) and senior Phonephathep Philavong (Vientiene, Laos) both taking a spot on the honorable mention team for singles, while the tandem of junior Victoria Romanovskaia (Simferopol, Crimea, Russia) and Viviana Ortiz both taking honorable mention on the doubles team.

Head coach Autumn Williams signed two student-athletes coming into the fall in the form of freshmen Maya Donkor (McLean, Va.) and Loren Tristan (Corpus Christi, Texas), with the former already paying dividends at the end of the 2018 fall schedule.

Donkor, alongside redshirt senior Lisa Carvajal (McAllen, Texas) took second in the ITA South Central Regional Doubles Draw in Wichita Falls, Texas, back at the end of September, besting a handful of ranked foes in the process, and were rewarded with the No. 2 spot as a doubles tandem in the region before getting tabbed 15th in the ITA National Doubles Rankings in November.

Carvajal, after missing the previous year due to injury, made a statement during the fall campaign with a strong showing in the singles draw during the regional tournament and booked a spot at No. 12 in the singles rankings for the South Central Region, just three spots behind her classmate Philavong.

Philavong took the ninth spot as she fell in the quarterfinals to Tabitha Porter from MSU Denver.

The Javelinas certainly made their presence felt at the South Central Regional Tournament, and with several key pieces returning from last year's squad, the outlook is bright for Williams and her squad.

Ruiz and Romanovskaia will have the opportunity to continue their strong finish to the 2018 season. Ruiz ended the spring slate on a 13-match unbeaten streak that stretched back to March 13 and dropped only three sets during the run. The San Antonio native went 16-6 during the dual season to raise her record on the year to 21-9 and will provide depth on the backend of the singles draw for TAMUK as she compiled a 15-6 record between the No. 4 and No. 5 spots.

Romanovskaia, on the other hand, turned in a strong showing on the doubles court with a 17-15 record while paired with Ortiz to earn her honorable mention spot. The two combined for an 11-5 mark between the No. 2 and No. 3 pairings to provide a strong base for the Blue and Gold's doubles lineup.

The Simferopol School product also eyes a return to her old ways in the singles lineup as she came away with an 11-19 overall record in 2018, down from her 12-10 singles mark at the end of the 2017 campaign.

The Javelinas have plenty of depth to work with heading into the spring schedule, as the trio of junior Stephanie Baerman (San Antonio, Texas), classmate Julia Rauer (Leiselheim, Germany) and sophomore Laura Montalvo (Cochabamba, Bolivia) all played important roles for the run to the LSC semifinals.

Baerman took home a 15-6 mark in singles play during the dual season, going 18-10 overall between the fall and spring portions, along with a perfect 6-0 mark against LSC foes as she rounded out the rotation with a 15-5 mark between the fifth and sixth spot in the lineup.

Rauer turned in a 15-14 overall mark in singles play at the end of the year, including a 5-1 mark against conference foes, as she hovered in the middle of the lineup with a 12-10 record between the third and fourth position in the rotation.

Rounding out the triumvirate, Montalvo showcased strong work on the singles courts with an 18-10 overall record that featured a 10-8 mark during the dual season as she swapped positions with Rauer at the third and fourth singles draw.

The Javelinas will open their spring schedule on Friday, February 1, with a road trip to Laredo, Texas, for a matchup against Laredo CC starting at 1:30 p.m. CT. TAMUK will follow that up with a trip to Plano, Texas on Sunday, February 3, for a matchup against Harding to wrap the first weekend of play.

To keep up-to-date with Javelina tennis, follow the program on Facebook at /JavelinaSports or on Twitter @JavelinaTennis

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