UTRGV Women’s Tennis freshman Yaiza Vazquez practices a forward stroke last Wednesday at the Orville I. Cox Tennis Center on the Edinburg campus. RAMIRO CASTRO JR./THE RIDER PHOTOS
The UTRGV Women’s Tennis Team had a pretty strong start this season, ending their first team tournament with 11 wins earlier this month.
Head coach West Nott thinks the team has definitely improved since the start of the season, saying 50% of the roster from last year was replaced.
“We made excellent progress this fall, and I think just having some fresh new players,” Nott said. “We also hired an assistant coach. … Just everything coming together for this first tournament.”
Asked how the team has improved, Nott replied it comes down to implementing the best attitude out there.
“We focus a lot on character development, making sure we have a positive attitude out there, regardless of the circumstances that happened,” he said.
Nott attributes the improvement to “quality of work,” then taking it from there.
Asked how they stay motivated during the season, he said it takes working and talking with them one on one.
“Once I kind of earn the trust of each player, then it’s easier to coach them up and just share my side of things and we come together and try to execute the plan together,” Nott said.
Next up for the Vaqueras is the University of the Incarnate Word Cardinal Classic, which will take place Friday through Sunday in San Antonio.
“We are really excited,” Nott said about the tournament. “We love to compete. That’s when we find out how each individual handles the pressure situation.
“The fall is really about competing individually, while we represent UTRGV, but in the spring we play with a lineup against other teams. And that’s, really, the meaningful part of our season.”
He said the fall will help identify which players are going to be high in the lineup and to figure out how everyone will handle pressure.
Freshman tennis player Yaiza Vazquez and senior Valeria Montero won a doubles match 6-3 during the Texas State University Invitational Oct. 8-9 in San Marcos.
Vazquez said she felt more like a team with the rest of the players.
“In my case, I’m a freshman, and when I started training, practice with my teammates was a very good impression,” she said. “And now we are more like a team, and together we are practicing very good.”
Vazquez said she stays motivated along with her teammates, even when they are tired.
At the same tournament, senior Stefanie Wilske and freshman Valentina Urraco secured a 6-4 win during a doubles match.
Wilske said she is getting over an injury and that getting ready physically is one of her goals at the moment.
“Just my performance right now, I think I’m just happy and I know I’m improving,” she said.
Asked how they have been improving during the season, Wilske replied that she has been focusing on getting better.
“I have been focusing just on … building up my confidence,” she said.
Wilske also thinks they have been growing as a team.
“The team chemistry is really good,” she said. “The energy is getting way better. Of course, there are some days where we don’t feel like [giving] our [100%].
“We are tired–school, everything. But I think, right now, we are doing a great job. We all know we have a common goal, so we are working on that.”
After the Cardinal Classic, the women will host the UTRGV Tennis College-Am Nov. 12 at the Orville I. Cox Tennis Center on the Edinburg campus.
For more information, visit https://goutrgv.com/sports/womens-tennis/schedule.
