The women’s tennis team took its first duel victory of the year with a 6-1 win over UT Rio Grande Valley on Monday. 

The Wildcats secured their first point of the day in doubles. Victoria Correa, freshman from León, Mexico, and Jess Board, sophomore from Sale, Australia, were the first pair to finish with a 6-1 victory. This was the pair’s first doubles win of the season, which gave an early advantage to the Wildcats. 

Head Coach Bryan Rainwater said that taking the doubles point and building momentum early on was the key to the Wildcats’ success. 

“I really tried to have the girls go in with the mindset of, ‘Hey, we got to jump on them quick,’ and we did that really well,” Rainwater said. 

The team continued this form as they went into singles play, taking five of the six matches. Masha Vrsalovic, senior from Cochabamba, Bolivia, and Maria Cascos, senior from Gijón, Spain, led the charge from the top two courts, with neither one giving up a set.

The team continued to find success on the remaining courts and maintained their energy and enthusiasm throughout the duel.

“They care about each other, they support each other, and I think that shows up on the court,” Rainwater said. “Whenever they’re in their hardest times, they really pull together and work together, so I think that’s a huge key for what we have going this year.”  

The Wildcats now set their sights on the next match. ACU has not played at home this season and will continue that trend as they travel to Oklahoma to face off against Tulsa. 

The match, originally scheduled for Sunday, was postponed due to anticipated winter weather conditions.

“I think at this point in the semester, especially with seven girls, any extra rest that we’re gonna get is good,” Rainwater said.

The match is tentatively scheduled to be played on Tuesday. However, the final decision relies on the travel conditions of the team’s 5.5-hour drive to Tulsa.