Texas women’s tennis has recently seen consistent success on the court, defeating various ranked opponents and going on a five-game winning run.
The Longhorns’ winning streak came to an end this weekend when they lost in the quarterfinals to Oklahoma State in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s National Women’s Team Indoor Championship in Seattle.No.
10 Texas opened the tournament against its in-state rival Texas A&M, which is now ranked ninth. The Aggies entered the tournament with a 4-3 record, having lost to the unranked Miami Hurricanes.
The Longhorns defeated Texas A&M 4-2 in games played, including singles victory by seniors Taisiya Pachkaleva, Malaika Rapolu, and Charlotte Chavatipon.
The squad also won two doubles matches: sophomore Vivian Ovrootsky and Chavatipon won 6-2 in sets, while Pachkaleva and junior Sabina Zeynalova won 6-1 in sets.
Texas battled early against No. 3 Oklahoma State, trailing 3-0 in games.
Despite rallying three games and forcing a third-set tiebreaker, the Cowgirls prevailed and won the match, effectively ending the team’s tournament season.
Rapolu started the rally by defeating Lucia Peyre, and Zeynalova and Ovrootsky followed suit. Texas failed to complete the comeback against the higher-seeded opponent, as senior Charlotte Chavatipon succumbed to Safiya Carrington in a nearly three-hour match.
Texas was in a strong position heading into this competition.
Just days before the tournament, the squad upset No. 25 Wisconsin and No. 4 Georgia in the span of 24 hours.
Pachkaleva was instrumental in these two victories, earning Big 12 Women’s Tennis Player of the Week honors for her efforts.
It was the first time in her career she had received such an accolade.
Despite failing to advance past the quarterfinals, Texas finished the tournament with two significant wins and was given a consolation game against No. 12 Ohio State, which the team won 4-3 in games.
Though this game had no bearing on tournament play, it was still a significant ranking win for the Longhorns in regaining any momentum they may have lost against Oklahoma State.
Texas now confronts a challenging four-game schedule against ranked opponents, including No. 2 Stanford. Texas presently has a 6-2 record with two losses to rated opponents this season.
The Longhorns will now resume their normal schedule as they prepare to meet No. 14 Auburn at the Texas Tennis Center on Sunday at 11 a.m.
