State: ASU | Louisiana

By Michael Eldridge | @DFWSportsMike

LAFAYETTE, La. - UT Arlington opened Sun Belt Conference play with a bang, sweeping through a pair of matches on the road.

The Mavericks swept Arkansas State on Friday before following it up with another 4-0 win, this time over Louisiana on Saturday.

"It was a solid performance across the board from our girls," UT Arlington coach Diego Benitez said. "We minimize our error to the minimum and that made a huge difference. I'm proud of the way our girls approached this first conference pod."

UTA improved to 11-2 on the season with its third consecutive sweep.

The Mavericks opened the pod with a decisive win over the Red Wolves with near perfect play. Agustina Serio and Valeria Lopez opened play with a 6-3 win in No. 3 doubles. ASU picked up a 7-5 win in the No. 2 position before Elizabeth Thoms and Angeles de los Rios stole back momentum with a 7-5 win of their own.

Astrid Gehre made quick work in No. 5 singles with a 6-0, 6-0 victory. Gehre's effort was followed by wins from De los Rios and Jessica Birowski.

Taking on the pod host in the final match of UTA's weekend, Birowski and Gehre teamed up to bounce back from the prior day's defeat in No. 2 doubles with a 6-1 victory. Lopez and Serio moved to 2-0 on the weekend with a 6-4 win at No. 3.

Thoms, Serio and Gehre then played flawlessly in singles, each earning 6-1, 6-1 wins.

The Mavs continue on the road when they return to nonconference play on March 31. UTA travels to take on Wichita State at 2 p.m.