Kingsville – The Texas A&M-Kingsville women's tennis team fell 6-1 to UT Rio Grande Valley in an exhibition dual match Saturday afternoon at the Javelina Tennis Complex.

The Vaqueros claimed the doubles point with a sweep across all three courts. Mariia Bakhtina and Rhea Makesar defeated Guadalupe Tocci and Maya Donkor 6-3, while Madeleine Joffe and Hitakamya Narwal topped Andrea Landaeta and Emma Halvarsson 6-3. Luna Buijtenhuijs and Valentina Urraco completed the sweep with a 6-3 victory over Annika Andersson Gomez and Kaitlin Blount.

The Javelinas' lone point came from Tocci, who dominated in the top singles slot with a commanding 6-2, 6-2 straight-set victory over Makesar. Tocci controlled the match from start to finish, showcasing her consistency and strong court presence. 

Playing in the No. 2 spot, Donkor battled through a tough first set before showing considerable fight in the second. Though she fell to Bakhtina 0-6, 4-6, Donkor improved play in the second set demonstrated her competitive spirit against a tough opponent.

Halvarsson engaged in one of the afternoon's most competitive matches at No. 5, pushing Urraco to the limit in a tight two-set contest. After dropping the first set 4-6, Halvarsson nearly forced a deciding third set before falling 5-7 in the second. The close scoreline reflected her strong performance throughout the match.

Elsewhere in singles action, Buijtenhuijs downed Landaeta 6-2, 6-3 at No. 3, and Joffe topped Andersson Gomez 6-2, 6-3 at No. 4. Giuliana Castelain completed UTRGV's singles victories with a 6-2, 6-1 win over Blount at No. 6.

The Javelinas hit the road for their next stretch of matches, beginning with a trip to McKinney to face Collin College on Thursday, Feb. 5 at 12 p.m., followed by a match against Southern Arkansas University in Dallas on Saturday, Feb. 7 at 10 a.m.

Follow Javelina Tennis on X and Instagram to keep up with the team throughout the season.