Men's and Women's Tennis Team Set to Open Season
9/13/2018 9:55:00 AM | Men's Tennis, Women's Tennis
Both Start the Year in the Midland Invitational on Sept. 14th
ARLINGTON, Texas - The highly anticipated season openers are upon UTA men's and women's tennis as the team travels to the Racquet Club Invitational in Midland, a traditional stop on the Maverick tour each season.Â
"We are really looking forward to getting going and getting this season started," UTA coach Diego Benitez said. "We have a lot of talent returning this year so there is a lot to be excited about. This tournament is always a great one for us to compete in because it gives us a benchmark of where our play is at coming out of the summer break, and let's us get a chance to see what we need to focus on this fall in practice and in tournament play."
The Mavericks have two very different groups to them across the men's and women's squads. On the men's side, a group of seniors bring a wealth of experience to the lineup, including nationally ranked Guanartame Nuez - checking in at No. 56 in the ITA/Oracle Preseason Collegiate Rankings. Nuez is ranked with fellow senior Mauricio del Rio in doubles at No. 33. UTA returns all three SBC All-Conference selections that include Nuez, del Rio and SBC Newcomer of the Year Enrique Pardo.Â
"The guys should have a really strong group this year with the return of several seniors and upperclassmen to the squad," Benitez said. "It is exciting to have a lot of hype around this group. We are looking to develop the back in of our lineup for the spring to make sure we can secure points, and the fall tournament schedule will help determine how strong we can be heading into the dual match season."
The women's side are looking to replace their 2017-18 captain in Agustina Serio. Serio, an all-time leader a top many of the Maverick records, leaves behind a squad that looks to Anna Wichert. The junior has a wealth of experience, including competing in the NCAA Doubles Championship in her freshman season. The tandem of Momoka Horiguchi and Nanaka Takeuchi return as one of the team's best doubles pairs, while senior Carla Vives is just one of two upperclassmen returning.Â
"We have a lot of opportunity for the ladies to step up and fill leadership roles," Benitez said. "Wichert has a lot of experience as she enters her third season with us, as well as a lineup that had a lot of success last year beyond the play of Agustina. While she will be tough to replace in everything she accomplished for us, we have a strong group that is really coming together to achieve something great."
Fans are encouraged to follow the The Racquet Club on Twitter for updates from the weekend at @RCInvitational, as well as the team's account @UTAMavsTennis.Â
