TN: Mavericks hungry for success in 2015-16
7/22/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Michael Eldridge | @DFWSportsMike
ARLINGTON, Texas â€" The UT Arlington tennis team got a taste of success in the 2014-15 season, but was left hungry to reach new heights in the upcoming season.
The men's tennis team finished its season No. 71 in the Oracle/ITA Division I Men's National Collegiate Team Rankings with wins over several ranked squads. The women, not to be outdone, reached the Sun Belt championship match, and featured a doubles duo in the NCAA Division I Doubles Championship in May.
"We had a really amazing year for both programs," UT Arlington coach Diego Benitez said. "We did plenty of damage in the region. The guys had wins against Penn and SMU to really help us in the rankings. We felt a lot of confidence coming into the end of the season. In the tournament, we just lost against a really good team. That doesn't take away from the really good season that we had.
"The girls is more of the same. The girls may have not broken through in the rankings, but they had an amazing year and are deserving of a top-50 spot in the nation. They had an amazing record, and they put in a good run in the tournament and were just three points away from the championship in a match that could have gone either way."
At the NCAA Doubles Championship, Elizabeth Thoms and Angeles de los Rios fell in two sets to the eventual champions from Alabama. Thoms and de los Rios compiled an overall doubles record of 7-1 during the season, going 2-0 against nationally-ranked opponents prior to the NCAA first round.
"They did something that not too many kids got to experience," Benitez said. "When you are in the national rankings you are just one click away from being exposed to the world. Making nationals means you are in the top 64 teams in the nation. It is just something that is an amazing feeling. Angeles and Lizzie were so thrilled when they learned they had made it."
In singles, the women's team featured five double-digit winners. Thoms led the pack with a 15-2 record, winning her last seven matches of the campaign. Augustina Serio was 14-3, while de los Rios was 14-4.
For the men, Carlos Arbiza was a force in singles place as he compiled a team-best 11-3 record as four Mavericks reached double digits. Daniel Armengol, Johnathan Gonzalez and Mario Muniesa each had 10 wins apiece.
As Benitez looks ahead to what the 2015-16 season may hold, he attributes the growing success to the type of competition UTA has faced in and out of conference play.
"We are fortunate to be in a really strong tennis conference," Benitez said. "At one point there were five out of six teams nationally ranked (in the Sun Belt) and that is a really high percentage in a mid-major conference. It makes it harder to win, but that just makes you better."
The Mavericks begin the season in a fall that is more focused on individual play than team competition. The fall features tournament play for the teams as UTA looks to improve in the individual rankings.
"In fall it is always a time to put in play what we practice," Benitez said. "We work hard and really nail down the different areas of the game that they need help in. In the fall it is a little bit more relaxed and less pressure so they can use some of the things in practice in their matches."
He said that the expectations vary by the various classes that make up the team. He looks forward to the upperclassmen making their mark in the tournaments, while the freshmen and sophomores will get a chance to improve their game against top competition they may not face in the spring.
Benitez added that he is hoping to use the success that both teams earned in the 2014-15 season to help them strive to reach loftier goals when the team returns to the court in August to begin practice.
"Having that glimpse at success is going to help to continue to make us work harder," Benitez said. "They are hungry for it and hopefully we can finish the job this next year."
