HARLINGEN, Texas– No. 3 UT Arlington (15-7) secured a quarterfinal sweep over No. 6 UT Rio Grande 4-0 in their opening round of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Tournament on Thursday at the HEB Tennis Center at Pendleton Park.
 
The Mavs got the momentum rolling in doubles play as they locked down the early clinch to go up 1-0 in singles.
 
All-WAC Second Doubles Team Bruna Casasampere and Francisca Vergara had a dominant showing on Court 1 as they allowed the Vaqueros only one game. The pair finished first as they defeated Isabelle Bahr and Marjorie Souza 6-1 to move them to 15-5 overall on the season.
 
The clinch came on Court 2, where Tara Gorinsek and Mariana Manyoma-Velasquez earned a strong victory over Kristal Dule and Lea Karren. The Vaqueros scored three games but could not overpower Gorinsek and Manyoma-Velasquez as they concluded doubles play with a 6-3 win.
 
Singles play followed in a similar manner, with the Mavs taking care of business despite a push from the Vaqueros on the higher courts.
 
Adding on to her strong doubles showing, senior Casasampere was quick to add to the score as she took the first singles match on Court 5. Dule played close in the beginning of the first set, but Casasampere took the lead and eventually closed out the set 6-3. She then followed up with an even stronger performance in the second without dropping a game for the 6-0 victory.
 
Soon after Casasampere finished, Manyoma-Velasquez put the Mavs one point away from victory with a solid straight-set triumph on Court 3. She began the first set with a commanding lead, going up 5-0 over Karren. Karren made a small push near the end to add two games to the scoreboard, but Manyoma-Velasquez finished strong 6-2.
 
Manyoma-Velasquez took another commanding lead in the second set, going up 4-1 at the third changeover. Karren was able to add one more game before Manyoma-Velasquez took control, closing out the match 6-2. The win puts her at 14-4 overall and in dual-match play.
 
The Mavs were one game away from the semifinal match on two courts, but the clinch came down to Court 6, where Ioana Dumitrescu continued her impressive spring season. Valentina Urraco stayed close towards the beginning of the first set as Dumitrescu carried the 3-2 lead into the third changeover, but Dumitrescu was quick to take over as she earned the next three games to go up 6-2 in the match.
 
Dumitrescu allowed Urraco only one game in the final set after gaining a 5-0 lead. She closed out the match 6-1, which matches her record in dual match play.
 
Three courts were still in progress when the match was decided. Gorinsek was down one set on Court 1 but had come back to 5-2 in the second. Sarina Reinertsen was up one set and down 5-0 in the second on Court 2. Ana Paula Jimenez was one game away from victory on Court 4 after taking the first set 6-3 and going up 5-0 in the second.
 
The Mavericks look to take on No. 2 Tarleton State at noon on Friday for their semifinal match. In their regular season match, the Mavs fell 5-2 at the UTA Tennis Center.
 
UTA 4, UTRGV 0

1. Bruna Casasampere/ Francisca Vergara (UTA) def. Isabelle Bahr/ Marjorie Souza (UTRGV) 6-1
2. Tara Gorinsek/ Mariana Manyoma-Velasquez (UTA) def. Kristal Dule/ Lea Karren (UTRGV) 6-3
3. Unfinished

1. Unfinished
2. Unfinished
3. Mariana Manyoma-Velasquez (UTA) def. Lea Karren (UTRGV) 6-2, 6-2
4. Unfinished
5. Bruna Casasampere (UTA) def. Kristal Dule (UTRGV) 6-3, 6-0
6. Ioana Dumitrescu (UTA) def. Valentina Urraco (UTRGV) 6-2, 6-1

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