HARLINGEN, Texas– The UT Arlington women's tennis team (15-8) suffered a tough 4-2 defeat against No. 2 seeded Tarleton State in the semifinals of the Western Athletic Conference Tournament at the HEB Tennis Center on Friday.
 
The Texans secured the doubles point over the Mavs as they took wins on two courts to clinch the 1-0 advantage.
 
Court 1 was the first to finish as senior duo Bruna Casasampere and Francisca Vergara fell by two games against Maretha Burger and Martha Makantasi. Casasampere and Vergara carried a one-game lead in the beginning of the set, but Burger and Makantasi were quick to reverse it as they went 4-3 into the changeover. The Mavs fought to even the score at 4-4 but could not overcome the Texans in the final two games, falling 4-3.
 
Ana Paula Jimenez and Sarina Reinertsen dropped their match on Court 3 to Noelia Lorca and Emma Persson to close out doubles play. Lorca and Persson took the lead as they went 4-1 into the third changeover. Jimenez and Reinertsen earned one more game as they were down 5-2 but could not bridge the gap as they fell 6-3.
 
With the 1-0 deficit in singles play, the Mavericks battled hard to force a comeback but fell short in deciding set matches.
 
Mariana Manyoma-Velasquez was quick to even the score as she exacted her revenge from her regular season loss on Court 3. At the start of the first set, she trailed by one game against Makantasi until she was able to make a two-game push and go up 5-4. She then earned the final game in the set to go up 6-4 in the match.
 
The next set followed in a similar manner with Makantasi staying close behind. As the score stayed within one game, Manyoma-Velasquez was able to make the final effort and close out 6-4. With the victory, she finishes her season with a 15-4 overall record.
 
The lead returned to the Texans on Court 4, where Jimenez was forced to retire against Lorca. Lorca had won the first set 6-4 and took the lead in the second set when the match was called.
 
Court 5 was the next to finish as Casasampere responded by securing the next win in a deciding set over Ximena Morales. Casasampere came out swinging as she dominated the first set without dropping a game for the 6-0 win.
 
Morales retaliated in the second set as she went up 3-0 to start off. Casasampere was able to earn three games but could not overcome Morales as she dropped the set 6-3. With the score even, the match tie came down to the third set.
 
Casasampere reversed the roles in the second set as the energy shifted her way. She gained the 4-1 lead heading into the changeover then held on to make the score 5-2. Morales won one more game before Casasampere closed out the match 6-3. The senior ends her last season as a Maverick with a 22-8 overall record.
 
Court 1 came down to another third set, where Tara Gorinsek fell short to Persson. Gorinsek took control in the first set as she earned an early 3-1 lead. She built from there, allowing Persson only one more game before winning the set 6-2.
 
Persson made a push in the second set as she carried the one-game lead over Gorinsek. Gorinsek stayed within one game throughout, but the set went Persson's way as she won the final two games to even the score 6-4.
 
In the final set, the momentum had shifted Persson's way as she did not allow Gorinsek a game. Persson overpowered her for the 6-0 win and put the Texans in the lead 3-2.
 
All eyes were on Courts 2 and 6 as Reinertsen and Ioana Dumitrescu battled to push the Mavs ahead.
 
The clinch came on Court 6, where Dumitrescu fell in a heartbreaking match against Clara Sobius. The first set was tight, but Dumitrescu was able to overcome Sobious' efforts and close out by two games 6-4.
 
Sobius came back to take the second, leaving the match up to a deciding set. Dumitrescu won two games before Sobius won the rest, falling 6-2 to put the match at one set apiece.
 
In the deciding set, Dumitrescu started with the momentum as she gained a solid 5-0 lead. Sobius rose to the pressure and made a five-game run to even the score. In the final two games, Dumitrescu could not overcome Sobius as she fell 7-5.
 
Reinertsen was in the middle of a battle on Court 2 when the match was decided. After dropping the first set 6-1 against Elsa Boisson, she earned her own 6-1 win in the second. The deciding set was in a tiebreaker when the Texans clinched.
 
The Mavericks conclude their season with a 15-8 overall record. They finished 4-3 in conference play and held an impressive 6-2 record in road matches.
 
UTA 2, TSU 4

1. Maretha Burger/ Martha Makantasi (TSU) def. Bruna Casasampere/ Francisca Vergara (UTA) 6-4
2. Unfinished
3. Noelia Lorca and Emma Persson (TSU) def. Ana Paula Jimenez/ Sarina Reinertsen (UTA) 6-3

1. Emma Persson (TSU) def. Tara Gorinsek (UTA) 2-6, 6-4, 6-0
2. Unfinished
3. Mariana Manyoma-Velasquez (UTA) def. Martha Makantasi (TSU) 6-4, 6-4
4. Noelia Lorca (TSU) def. Ana Paula Jimenez (UTA) 6-4, WR
5. Bruna Casasampere (UTA) def. Ximena Morales 6-0, 3-6, 6-3
6. Clara Sobius (TSU) def. Ioana Dumitrescu (UTA) 4-6, 6-2, 7-5

--- #BuckEm —

 
 
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