April 25, 2012

ARLINGTON, Texas - The Southland Conference Tournament is no new place for the UT Arlington women's tennis team.

The 2010-11 Mavericks took home the Conference Title after defeating the Northwestern State Lady Demons 4-3 in the championship round of the tournament.

The women hope for a repeat as they head to the conference tournament, which takes place Thursday through Saturday.

"I believe the experience we have competing and wining this tournament in the past is going to be one of our best advantages," UT Arlington head coach Diego Benitez said. "We finished our regular season with a solid victory over the No. 1 seed.

"We just need to continue feeling this momentum and worry of playing one match at a time."

Senior Maria Martinez-Romero is 10-1 in league play, earning all 10 wins playing at the No. 1 position and is 15-6 overall, which includes several ranked opponents.

"This tournament is very special because it can be the last one," Martinez-Romero said about her last Southland Conference tournament. "That's why I will play harder than ever to help the team bring the title home.

"I have a mixture of feelings. I am excited to play this tournament as a senior, but at the same time I am very sad to realize that my four years of tennis at UTA is coming to an end. This has been an amazing experience and I am proud to be a part of this institution"

The women are 9-2 in conference play (14-8 overall) and are the No. 3 seed headed into the tournament. The Mavericks being the tournament Thursday in Nacogdoches as they take on the No. 6 Lamar University (12-9, 7-4 SLC) at 11 a.m.

UT Arlington defeated the Lamar Cardinals 5-2 earlier in the season when the two teams meet in early March.

The winner of this match will advance to the second round of the tournament and will compete Friday at 2 p.m. The Championships match will take place Saturday at 2 p.m. in Nacogdoches.