HARLINGEN, Texas– The UT Arlington women's tennis team (14-7, 4-3 WAC) heads into the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) tournament on Thursday as the No. 3 seed. They will face host school No. 6 UT Rio Grande Valley at 3 p.m. at the HEB Tennis Center at Pendleton Park.
 
The Mavericks took a 6-1 defeat to No. 1 seed and No. 62 national ranked Grand Canyon in their final regular season match. They had been on a four-match winning streak before, taking out Stephen F. Austin, UTRGV, Utah Tech and Seattle.
 
Tara Gorinsek is heading into the tournament as the WAC Singles Player of the Week for the final week of the regular season. She earned a strong win on Court 1 over the Lopes as she defeated No. 113 Natasha Puehse in straight sets. She ends conference play with a 4-3 record and is 11-8 overall.
 
Senior Bruna Casasampere has also been a strong singles force as she holds the most conference wins on the team. She has played on Courts 4, 5 and 6 where she holds a 5-2 WAC record and a 20-8 overall record.
 
In doubles action, the senior duo of Casasampere and Francisca Vergara have been impressive on Courts 1 and 2 as they hold a 5-1 record in conference doubles. They took their first loss to GCU but have remained steady throughout the season with a 14-4 overall record.
 
TOURNAMENT INFORMATION
The Mavericks look to open the tournament against the Vaqueros in a quarterfinal match. If they win, they will face the winner between No. 2 Tarleton State and No. 7 Stephen F. Austin. The semifinal match is slated for Friday at noon, with the finals set for Saturday at noon.
 
The Mavs took three regular season losses, which include Abilene Christian, Tarleton State and Grand Canyon. If they win their quarterfinal match, they will face the Texans in the semifinals. As the Wildcats and Lopes are on the opposite side of the bracket, the Mavs would face either team in the finals.
 
SCOUTING UTRGV
In regular season play, the Mavs defeated the Vaqueros 5-2 in Edinburg, Texas. The Mavs won each doubles match then took their only two singles losses on Courts 1 and 3 due to retirement. Overall, the Vaqueros hold a 10-11 record on the season. They went 2-5 in WAC play as they notched wins over Utah Tech and Stephen F. Austin.
   
 
FOLLOW ALONG
For updates, behind-the-scenes photos, videos and more engaging and personal content, be sure to follow the women's tennis program on Twitter (@utamavswtennis), Instagram (@utamavswtennis) and Facebook (/utamavswtennis).