The Stephen F. Austin women’s tennis team secured its first win of the 2026 season with a 4-3 victory over the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) in Edinburg, Texas. This result also marks the first career win for Head Coach Drew Lambert.
In doubles play, SFA’s Felicia Back and Sonja Rooth defeated Rhea Makesar and Barbra Martinez 6-2 at the top spot. The pair of Avery Kinsey and Ana Paula Chavez clinched the doubles point for SFA by winning their match 6-4 against Luna Buijtenhuijs and Valentina Urracu. UTRGV took one doubles match as Mariia Bakhtina and Hitakamya Narwal overcame Alkmini Giannakogiorgou and Antonella Taco 6-2.
During singles competition, Sonja Rooth won her match against Yaiza Vazquez 6-4, 6-1, giving her a fifth singles victory this season since moving up to the No. 2 position. Antonella Taco earned her first singles win of the year by defeating Hitakamya Narwal in straight sets, while Alkmini Giannakogiorgou clinched her own first singles victory of the season by overcoming Valentina Urraco in a close contest to secure the overall team win for SFA.
Head Coach Drew Lambert said he was pleased with his team’s performance as he notched both his first career win and his initial Southland Conference victory.
With this result, SFA improved its record to 1-6 overall and evened its Southland Conference mark at 1-1. The Lumberjacks now lead their all-time series against UTRGV nine wins to five.
SFA will next face Nicholls in its home opener on Saturday, March 7, in Nacogdoches.
Fans can stay updated on SFA Tennis through the official athletics website or by downloading the new mobile application available on both major app stores, which offers schedules, scores, rosters, news updates, ticket access, and exclusive content.
