WT: Mavs face final tuneup before ITA Regionals
10/8/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Tournament Bracket
Michael Eldridge | @DFWSportsMike
ARLINGTON, Texas - The Mavericks women's tennis team ends a two-week break when it heads to Dallas for the SMU Invite at the SMU Tennis Complex beginning Friday.
The tournament is the last chance for UT Arlington to face competition before the ITA Texas Regional Championships that begin on Oct. 22.
"It was good to takes the two weeks of rest, we had play back-to-back tournaments and it was a lot of matches everyday," UT Arlington coach Diego Benitez said. "SMU is going to be a fun tournament, it is right here and they will have a chance to sleep in their own beds. They are very excited."
Benitez said that he is looking to see improvement from the girls in the three-day tournament and hoping to see what they have worked on in practice be implemented in the matches.
"I look for a lot of excitement," Benitez said. "I want to see a commitment in each match to play the right way. This is their last chance to apply what they have learned in practice before we go on to the regional stage."
Junior Angeles de los Rios said that the group is ready to return to the court and face good competition this weekend. She added that playing against top competition is just a perk of playing in Texas.
"We are probably going to face the same teams we have been playing against, so we are going to see some good competition," de los Rios said. "If you compare the other regions together, Texas is going to be in the top-2 when it comes to competition. The competition level is always high."
De los Rios, a winner of the doubles flight in Midland, will be joined with sophomore Agustina Serio, while Astrid Gehre, de los Rios' partner in Midland, is playing with Elizabeth Thoms.
"They played really well (at Midland)," Benitez said of teaming up Gehre and Thoms. "We couldn't play the last day because of the rain. They had an opportunity to win it and I think they will do very well together."
Follow UTA on Twitter at @UTAMavs for updates on match information and results.
