KINGSVILLE, Texas – The Texas A&M-Kingsville women's tennis program picked up its first win of the 2021 dual season on Saturday at the Javelina Tennis Courts by splitting a pair of matches against Division I foe UTRGV in regional action.

The Javelinas (1-2) took the first match at 5-2, while the Vaqueros (1-7) returned the favor in the second match at 4-0.

MATCH ONE

The visitors took the doubles point in the first matchup of the day. Junior Laura Montalvo (Cochabamba, Bolivia) and sophomore Maya Donkor (McLean, Va.) were the lone Javelina duo to take their match as they bested Ana Platisa and Kristyna Mamicova in the top flight at 7-5.

The hosts moved quickly to secure five of the six singles points, despite UTRGV taking the first point off the six flight in straight sets. TAMUK came back with a three-set win in the fifth flight after newcomer Milou ter Morsche (Goor, Netherlands) battled back from a 6-0 loss in the first set to clinch the super-tiebreaker in the second set at 7-6 and mirror Katarina Sasaroga's score in the final set at 6-0 to take the win.

The Javelinas' five points all came in straight sets on the day, with ter Morsche setting the pace. Fellow freshman Raina Zaffar (Guwahati, India) also battled back after dropping the first set at 6-1 in the fourth flight to Valeria Montero with a 6-4 win in the second and a 6-1 decision in the third to tie the team score at 2-2.

Montalvo put TAMUK on top with her point in the third flight. Her opponent, Platisa, took the first set at 6-4 before Montalvo came back in the second set at 6-4 and clinched the third set at 6-2.

Donkor ended up as the deciding factor in the first match after she took the first set at 6-4 in the second flight over Mamicova before her foe responded with a 6-3 win in the second set. Donkor held on in the third, though, for the fourth team point at 6-4, putting the Javelinas over the top.

The final singles matchup of the day was between freshman Alessa Maier (Hechingen, Germany) and Isabelle Bahr in the top flight with Maier taking set one at 6-1 before Bahr grabbed set two at 6-4. The final set needed an extra point from Maier as she picked up the win at 7-5.

MATCH TWO

The second matchup of the day sang a different tune in singles play, as UTRGV claimed the doubles point again. Knaab and ter Morsche put up a fight in the second flight against Montero and Lea Karren but ended up on the back end of a 6-4 decision.

The Vaqueros ended up with the first three singles points of the match, with Karren taking the sixth flight, followed by Sasaroga in the fifth and Platisa in the third. Montalvo owned a lead in the second set against Montero in the fourth flight after taking the first set, while Maier was locked in a duel in the third set of the first flight before play was brought to a halt.

The Javelinas return to action next week with a two-day trip to San Antonio. They will meet up with Central Oklahoma at 1 p.m. CT on Friday, March 5, before facing Trinity at 11 a.m. CT on Saturday, March 6.

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