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No. 9 Women’s Tennis preview: NCAA Super Regional
05.09.2024 | Women's Tennis
The Longhorns travel to Los Angeles to face 8 seed No. 8 UCLA for the second time this season on Friday at 12 p.m. PT/2 p.m. CT.
No. 9 Women's Tennis preview: NCAA Super Regional
(9 seed) No. 9 Texas at (8 seed) No. 8 UCLA
When: Friday, May 10, 2024, 12 p.m. PT/2 p.m. CT
Where: Los Angeles Tennis Center, Los Angeles, Calif.
Team Records: Texas (23-5, 12-1 Big 12), UCLA (20-5, 9-1 Pac-12)
Live Stats: https://hookem.at/WTN-Stats
Live Video: https://hookem.at/WTN-Watch
Updated Team Stats
Notes
-First serve
The Longhorns had been on a 10-match winning streak prior to falling in the Big 12 Championship final and have posted a 23-5 record this season with top-25 wins against No. 4 Georgia, No. 9 Texas A&M, No. 12 Ohio State, No. 14 Auburn, No. 15 Oklahoma, No. 18 Oklahoma in the Big 12 semifinals, and No. 24 Georgia Tech in the NCAA Second Round. The first of the five losses came to No. 16 UCLA on the road to open the season when an illness forced the Longhorns to play with just four singles players. The next three were all 4-3 decisions that came down to the final singles match against top-three teams – twice against No. 1 Oklahoma State at the ITA National Indoors (at that time No. 3) and at home on March 22, and then on the road at No. 3 Stanford. Texas completed its final regular season of Big 12 play with a 12-1 record, finishing second only to Oklahoma State.
-Back in the Sweet 16, Again
With their two victories last weekend at the NCAA Austin Regional, the Longhorns earned their fourth-straight and 27th all-time appearance in the NCAA Round of 16. Texas has now made six trips to the Round of 16 in eight opportunities under head coach Howard Joffe (2016, 2018, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024).
-What's at stake
Texas is looking for its fourth-straight and 14th all-time appearance in the NCAA quarterfinals. The Longhorns have previously earned trips to the Elite Eight in 1984, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2005, 2021, 2022 and 2023. It had been a 16-year gap between the most recent three appearances and the one prior to those in 2005.
-Texas earns the No. 9 national seed in the 2024 NCAA Championship
Texas earned the No. 9 national seed in the 2024 NCAA Championship field in 2024. It marked the sixth-straight season the Longhorns have been a top-10 national seed in the tournament. The Longhorns hosted First and Second Round matches on Saturday, May 4, and Sunday, May 5, at the Texas Tennis Center, sweeping No. 42 Harvard, 4-0, in the first round before topping No. 24 Georgia Tech, 4-3, in the second round. UT is making its 39th NCAA Championship appearance and has a 69-34 (.670) all-time record in NCAA tourney play. The Longhorns have captured NCAA team titles in 1993, 1995, 2021 and 2022 and earned NCAA runner-up finishes in 1992 and 2005. This is the eighth-straight year Texas has made the tournament field dating back to 2016, and it has reached at least the second round in each of those, while advancing to at least the quarterfinals in the last three.
-UCLA Series: Tied, 11-11
The all-time series between Texas and UCLA is tied, 11-11, however after regularly meeting in the mid-80s, late 90s and early 2000s, this will only be the fourth contest between the schools since 2005. The teams faced off earlier this year at the Los Angeles Tennis Center with UCLA taking a 5-2 win. Several Longhorns were suffering from an illness, and Texas forfeited two singles matches before play began. The Longhorns won the previous meeting in 2021, which took place at the ITA National Indoor Championships in Stillwater, Okla., by a score of 4-2 in a top-three matchup of No. 3 Texas versus No. 2 UCLA. The Bruins won by the same score in 2014, also at the ITA National Indoors, but in the Round of 16 in Charlottesville, Va. Prior to this year, the last contest in Los Angeles came in 2005, which UCLA won, 6-1.
Last Two Meetings
#16 UCLA 5, #6 Texas 2
Friday, January 19, 2024
Los Angeles, Calif. • Los Angeles Tennis Center
Singles – Order of Finish (4,3,1,2)
1. Tian Fangran (UCLA) def. Sabina Zeynalova (UT) 7-6 (8-6), 6-4
2. #45 Malaika Rapolu (UT) def. Kimmi Hance (UCLA) 6-4, 7-6 (10-8)
3. Taisiya Pachkaleva (UT) def. Bianca Fernandez (UCLA) 7-6 (7-5), retired
4. A. Lutkemeyer (UCLA) def. Vivian Ovrootsky (UT) 6-2, 6-1
5. Elise Wagle (UCLA) def. No player (UT), by forfeit
6. #99 Ahmani Guichard (UCLA) def. No player (UT), by forfeit
Doubles – Order of Finish (3,1,2)
1. Taisiya Pachkaleva/Sabina Zeynalova (UT) def. Kimmi Hance/Elise Wagle (UCLA) 6-2
2. Bianca Fernandez/Tian Fangran (UCLA) def. Malaika Rapolu/Tanya Sasnouskaya (UT) 7-6 (7-2)
3. Ahmani Guichard/A. Lutkemeyer (UCLA) def. Charlotte Chavatipon/Vivian Ovrootsky (UT) 6-3
#3 Texas 4, #2 UCLA 2
Saturday, February 6, 2021
Greenwood Tennis Center • Stillwater, Okla. (ITA National Indoors Semifinals)
Singles – Order of finish (1, 4, 3, 2, 6)
#66 Peyton Stearns (UT) def. #9 Elysia Bolton (UCLA), 6-3, 6-2
#7 Abbey Forbes (UCLA) def. #5 Anna Turati (UT), 7-5, 6-1
#19 Jada Hart (UCLA) def. #94 Lulu Sun (UT), 1-6, 6-2, 6-4
#125 Charlotte Chavatipon (UT) def. Vivian Wolff (UCLA), 6-1, 6-4
Malaika Rapolu (UT) vs. Abi Altick (UCLA), 6-3, 5-7, 1-1, unf.
Kylie Collins (UT) def. Annette Goulak (UCLA), 7-5, 7-6 (7-1)
Doubles – Order of finish (3, 2, 1)
Kylie Collins/Lulu Sun (UT) def. #1 Elysia Bolton/Jada Hart (UCLA), 6-4
#48 Fernanda Labraña/Anna Turati (UT) def. Annette Goulak/Vivian Wolff (UCLA), 6-3
Abi Altick/Taylor Johnson (UCLA) def. Marta Perez Mur/Charlotte Chavatipon (UT), 6-2
-Texas vs. UCLA in 2023-24 tournament play
N/A
-ITA Team Rankings
Texas picked up where it left off last season at No. 7 in the preseason coaches poll released January 3 by the ITA and moved up one spot to No. 6 on January 17 before moving to No. 10 on January 24, where it remained on January 31 until ascending back to No. 6 on Feb. 14 and then moving up to No. 4 on Feb. 20. The Longhorns then returned to No. 6 on Feb. 27, and to No. 7 on March 5, which they remained until April 2 when they moved to No. 8. They returned back to No. 7 on April 16 before moving to No. 9 where they are currently. Texas has finished each of the last six years in the Top 10 of the final ITA national polls. UT earned a No. 6 ranking in 2018, No. 9 in 2019, No. 4 in 2020, No. 1 in both 2021 and 2022, and No. 7 in 2023.
-ITA Individual National Rankings
Five UT singles players are included in the latest ITA national Top 125 singles rankings (May 2) with three of those in the top-50, while three pairs are included in the Top 90 doubles rankings capped by one in the top-20.
Texas
Singles
No. 20 Malaika Rapolu
No. 30 Sabina Zeynalova
No. 42 Tanya Sasnouskaya
No. 85 Charlotte Chavatipon
No. 122 Taisiya Pachkaleva
Doubles
No. 19 Taisiya Pachkaleva/Sabina Zeynalova
No. 34 Malaika Rapolu/Tanya Sasnouskaya
No. 85 Charlotte Chavatipon/Tanya Sasnouskaya
UCLA
Singles
No. 27 Kimmi Hance
No. 32 Tian Fangran
No. 73 Bianca Jolie Fernandez
Doubles
No. 13 Tian Fangran/Elise Wagle
No. 42 Kimmi Hance/Anne-Christine Lutkemeyer
-Trending
Sabina Zeynalova
After missing fall singles play due to injury, Zeynalova has played No. 1 singles in all 12 matches in which she has played. She missed 16 matches in singles after playing against Oklahoma on March 3 and just returned to the lineup against Georgia Tech in the NCAA Second Round. She missed 13 in doubles and returned for two during the Big 12 Championship and also against Harvard in the NCAA First Round. In nine matches against top-65 opponents, she has posted a 5-4 record, including wins over No. 13 Carolyn Ansari of Auburn, No. 14 Irina Cantos Siemers of Ohio State, No. 17 Anastasiya Komar of Oklahoma State, and No. 38 Dana Guzman of Oklahoma with that victory clinching a 4-3 win over the Sooners. The fifth win was against No. 61 Maria Sholokhova of Wisconsin. Her four defeats came versus No. 1 Mary Stoiana of Texas A&M, in a third-set tiebreaker against No. 35 Alexandra Vecic of Georgia, in a third set on the road versus No. 45 Angelica Blake of Stanford, and in her return from injury against No. 38 Carol Lee of Georgia Tech. In doubles, Zeynalova became partners with Taisiya Pachkaleva for dual match play, and the duo has played at No. 1 in every match they've played together, posting an 8-4 record with five top-50 victories, highlighted by a win over No. 3 Mary Stoiana and Mia Kupres of Texas A&M. In the eight wins, only one opponent has even reached a score of three games against them, and they have four of Texas' clinched doubles points. In the fall, Zeynalova played in limited doubles matches, partnering with Tanya Sasnouskaya with the duo going 5-2 with the first four wins vaulting them to the final of the ITA Texas Regional Championships.
Malaika Rapolu
Rapolu has been on a tear in 2023-24, compiling a 35-6 singles record that includes an 18-3 mark in dual matches, with 10 wins against ranked opponents in straight sets. She had a 13-match winning streak snapped when she fell to No. 4 Ange Oby Kajuru of No. 1 Oklahoma State on March 22. The featured wins of the group are over No. 21 Alexandra Yepifanova of Stanford, 6-1, 6-2, and No. 24 Mia Kupres of Texas A&M, 6-2, 6-2, while she has clinched four overall matches, including against Oklahoma in the Big 12 semifinals. Only four of her total 35 victories have even gone to a third set, and against West Virginia, she played her first match at No. 1 and came away with a 6-0, 6-0 victory. She had been slotted to play No. 2 in that match, and then Sabina Zeynalova did not play, so Rapolu moved up to No. 1. She then stayed at No. 1 against Cincinnati and Houston and produced another 6-0, 6-0 win against the Cougars. Meanwhile, three of her six losses have been against top-25 foes, including against No. 7 Ayana Akli of South Carolina with Rapolu forcing tiebreakers in both sets of that match. In the fall, Rapolu won the singles title at the ITA Texas Regionals. In doubles, Rapolu partnered with Vivian Ovrootsky in the fall and the duo registered a 9-4 record. She then paired with Tanya Sasnouskaya for dual matches at No. 2 (although they have played No. 1 in 15 of the last 16 matches with Sabina Zeynalova missing 13 of those and then playing down at No. 2 in her return) and they have a 16-6 mark, wins over No. 6 Avelina Sayfetdinova and Metka Komac of Texas Tech, No. 8 Anastasiya Komar and Ange Oby Kajuru of Oklahoma State, and No. 21 Carol Lee and Kate Sharabura of Georgia Tech, and nine doubles clinches. They have won their last 13 decisions.
Tanya Sasnouskaya
Sasnouskaya is a transfer from Old Dominion who began play with Texas in the fall and went 8-6 in tournament play with five top-60 wins, highlighted by a 6-2, 6-4 decision over No. 16 Irina Cantos Siemers of Ohio State, a 6-0, 6-3 win over No. 22 Carolyn Ansari of Auburn, and a 6-0, 6-0 win over No. 27 Sydni Ratliff of Ohio State. She also was just downed in a 14-12 superbreaker by No. 24 Kari Miller of Michigan. In dual matches, Sasnouskaya has played No. 2 singles most matches except being at No. 1 in the second match against No. 1 Oklahoma State and versus Kansas State, along with the seven most recent at No. 3 until she played No. 4 against Georgia Tech in the NCAA First Round when Zeynalova returned. She has gone 13-7 with a 7-5, 6-4 win over No. 73 Luciana Perry of Ohio State and clinching the matches against Baylor, Kansas, Texas Tech, and Kansas State in the Big 12 Championship. In that second match against Oklahoma State, she pushed No. 10 Anastasiya Komar deep into the third set before narrowly falling. In doubles, Sasnouskaya has played with three partners in 2023-24, starting with Charlotte Chavatipon, then Sabina Zeynalova, and Malaika Rapolu. She and Rapolu have played together in every dual match, starting out at No. 2, but then at No. 1 in 15 of the last 16 with Zeynalova out of the lineup in most of those, and they have won their last 13 decisions. They have a 16-6 record in duals, wins over No. 6 Avelina Sayfetdinova and Metka Komac of Texas Tech, No. 8 Anastasiya Komar and Ange Oby Kajuru of Oklahoma State, and No. 21 Carol Lee and Kate Sharabura of Georgia Tech, and nine doubles clinches. In the fall, Sasnouskaya and Zeynalova reached the final of the ITA Texas Regionals.
Charlotte Chavatipon
Chavatipon has generated a 24-11 overall singles record this year, including 17-4 in dual matches during which she's played primarily at No. 4 with 10 matches at No. 3 and eight at No. 2 with Sabina Zeynalova out of the lineup. She opened dual match play winning her first five contests, highlighted by a victory over No. 70 Anastasiia Lopata of Georgia, and the overall clinch against Texas A&M with a win over Lucciana Perez. She has now won 11 of her last 12 decisions with her only loss being to No. 2 Ange Oby Kajuru of Oklahoma State, and she also topped No. 65 Lucia Peyre of No. 1 Oklahoma State. She has clinched against West Virginia and UCF this season. In the fall, Chavatipon defeated No. 20 Ariana Arseneault of Auburn at the Wolfpack Invitational, and later made a run to the final of the ITA Texas Regionals, where she finally only fell to teammate Malaika Rapolu. In doubles, Chavatipon first paired with Tanya Sasnouskaya in the fall, but has teamed with Vivian Ovrootsky throughout dual match play and the duo has won 16 of their last 19 decisions, including doubles clinches against Wisconsin, Stanford, West Virginia, Cincinnati, UCF, Kansas, BYU, and Kansas State in the Big 12 Championship.
Taisiya Pachkaleva
Pachkaleva has registered a 19-10 overall record in singles so far in 2023-24 with a 16-6 mark in dual matches, playing primarily at No. 4. She won her first four contests in dual match play, including clinching the overall match against No. 4 Georgia with a win over Guillermina Grant and later clinching against Iowa State and Baylor. In doubles, Pachkaleva became partners with Sabina Zeynalova for dual match play, and the duo has played at No. 1 in every match they've played together, posting an 8-4 record with five top-50 victories, highlighted by a win over No. 3 Mary Stoiana and Mia Kupres of Texas A&M. In the eight wins, only one opponent has even reached a score of three games against them, and they have four of Texas' clinched doubles points. With Zeynalova missing most of the last 16 matches, Pachkaleva has played at No. 3 and partnered with freshman Shachf Lieberman in the ones Zeynalova has missed. Pachkaleva and Lieberman are 7-5, winning their debut together against West Virginia and then clinching against Houston and later Baylor. Pachkaleva paired with Nicole Rivkin and Vivian Ovrootsky in the fall for a 3-2 record.
Vivian Ovrootsky
Ovrootsky returned to action this year after missing last season with an injury. So far, she is 27-11 overall in singles with a 16-5 mark in dual matches, playing at Nos. 5 and 6, and she earned her first career ranking of No. 105 in February. Perhaps her top moment of the year came in her last outing, when with the NCAA Second Round match against No. 24 Georgia Tech tied at 3-3, Ovrootsky rallied from down a set and trailing 5-3 in the second to win and send the Longhorns to the Sweet 16. Her other top wins include two against Ayumi Miyamoto of Oklahoma State, both in straight sets when Miyamoto was No. 46 and No. 81, and No. 82 Valencia Xu, while she also clinched the overall matches against Wisconsin, Auburn and BYU. She posted two other ranked wins in the fall, along with reaching the final of the USTA SoCal Intercollegiates. In doubles, she has teamed with Charlotte Chavatipon throughout dual match play, and the duo has won 16 of their last 19 decisions, including doubles clinches against Wisconsin, Stanford, West Virginia, Cincinnati, UCF, Kansas, BYU, and against Kansas State in the Big 12 Championhsip. She also teamed with Malaika Rapolu for 13 matches, winning nine, and Taisiya Pachkaleva for two, which they split.
Shachf Lieberman
Lieberman has been forced into action during her freshman year with Sabina Zeynalova missing the last 16 of the last 17 singles matches and has performed admirably since arriving in January, posting a 7-4 singles record and 7-5 in doubles. Lieberman won her first three dual matches against West Virginia, Cincinnati and UCF, along with having a set lead versus Kansas State before going unfinished, and she later picked up her first overall clinch against TCU. In doubles, she has paired with Taisiya Pachkaleva at No. 3, and the duo has a 7-5 record and clinched the doubles points against Houston and Baylor.
-Joffe in Year Nine
Head Coach Howard Joffe is in his ninth season leading the UT program. Under Joffe's leadership, Texas claimed back-to-back NCAA team championships in 2021 and 2022 and has finished each of the last six years in the top 10 of the final ITA national polls, earning year-end rankings of No. 6 in 2018, No. 9 in 2019, No. 4 in 2020, No. 1 in both 2021 and 2022 and No. 7 in 2023. The Longhorns also have captured four Big 12 regular-season championships (2018, 2019, 2021 and 2023-co) in their last seven opportunities and four Big 12 postseason tournament titles (2018, 2021, 2022 and 2023) in the last six chances (2020 season canceled due to COVID-19).
The 2021 ITA Division I Women's National Coach of the Year, Joffe has registered a 189-45 (.807) mark in his nine years at Texas. During his 17 seasons as a collegiate head coach, he has tallied a 320-106 (.751) dual-match record. Peyton Stearns claimed the Honda Sport Award for Tennis and the ITA National Player of the Year in 2022. Joffe has helped five Longhorns earn a total of seven ITA All-America honors in singles (Breaunna Addison in 2016, Bianca Turati in 2018, Anna Turati and Bianca Turati in 2020, Stearns in both 2021 and 2022 and Kylie Collins in 2022) and two duos earn ITA All-America accolades in doubles (Kylie Collins and Lulu Sun in 2021 and Stearns and Allura Zamarripa in 2022). Stearns became the first player in program history to win the NCAA Singles Championship in 2022, while Collins and Sun reached the finals of the NCAA Doubles Championship in 2021. In addition, 17 players have registered a combined 25 All-Big 12 singles and 21 All-Big 12 doubles selections in Joffe's tenure in Austin.
-All-Big 12 and Individual Position Champions
Texas earned four All-Big 12 team selections and a conference-leading four individual position championships as part of the annual Big 12 awards on May 2. Malaika Rapolu was chosen to the All-Big 12 First Team in both singles and doubles, with graduate Tanya Sasnouskaya pairing with Rapolu for the doubles accolade. Sasnouskaya also garnered second-team honors in singles, as did senior Charlotte Chavatipon. It marks the first time for Rapolu to be a member of an All-Big 12 team, while with Sasnouskaya transferring in this year from Old Dominion, it is her first year in the league after having been highly decorated in conference honors while with the Monarchs. Chavatipon has received all-conference team recognition for the past four years as a member of the first team in both singles and doubles last year, and the second team in both in 2021 and 2022. The conference also honored individual champions at each position and Texas led the league with four. In singles, the Longhorns had champions at three positions, including Chavatipon sharing it at No. 3, senior Taisiya Pachkaleva at No. 4, and sophomore Vivian Ovrootsky at No. 5. The pair of Rapolu and Sasnoukaya then shared the title at No. 1 doubles. It is the second-straight season Pachkaleva has claimed the singles championship at No. 4, while Rapolu previously won at No. 6 singles in 2021.
-So Sweet
Texas hosted NCAA First and Second Round matches in Austin on May 4-5, earning a 4-0 sweep over No. 42 Harvard, and a 4-3 victory over No. 24 Georgia Tech. Weather forced the first match inside, and the second suffered through a two-and-a-half hour rain delay toward the end of most singles second sets. Against the Crimson, the Longhorns posted a pair of 6-2 wins at Nos. 3 and 2 in doubles, and followed with singles wins by Tanya Sasnouskaya at No. 3, Vivian Ovrootsky at No. 5 and Shachf Lieberman at No. 6. Versus the Yellow Jackets, Texas took a tight doubles point with wins at Nos. 2 and 1, including a 7-5 victory by Sasnoukaya and Malaika Rapolu at No. 1 over the nation's No. 21 doubles pair. In singles, the Longhorns expanded their lead to 3-1 with wins by Charlotte Chavatipon at No. 3 and Sasnouskaya at No. 4 that took only minutes to complete following the weather delay. After Georgia Tech evened it at Nos. 1 and 2, Ovrootsky came through for the clinch after trailing by a set and 5-3 in the second. She won the second set, 7-5, and then controlled the third set, 6-1, to advance the Longhorns.
-Back in the Big 12 Championship final
Although the Longhorns fell to No. 1 Oklahoma State in the Big 12 Championship Final on their home court in Stillwater on April 20, it was still the sixth-straight time they had reached the championship match, having won four of the previous five, including the last three before that. Texas swept No. 73 Kansas State (4-0) and rallied for four singles wins against No. 18 Oklahoma in order to get to the title match.
-Closing out the regular season in Waco
The Longhorns earned a 4-0 sweep over No. 34 Baylor in the final match of the Big 12 regular season on April 14 at the Hurd Tennis Center in Waco. It marked the seventh sweep in 13 Big 12 matches. After taking the doubles point with wins at Nos. 1 and 3, the Longhorns received singles victories from Shachf Lieberman at No. 6, Vivian Ovrootsky at No. 5, and Taisiya Pachkaleva at No. 4.
-Forward through Fort Worth
Texas defeated No. 40 TCU, 4-1, on April 12 at the Friedman Tennis Center in Fort Worth. The win secured the 2 seed and a first-round bye for the Longhorns the Big 12 Championship in Stillwater. After clinching the doubles point with wins at Nos. 1 and 2, Texas earned singles wins from Malaika Rapolu at No. 1, Charlotte Chavatipon at No. 3, and Shachf Lieberman at No. 6 for the clinch.
-Senior Day
After the match versus BYU, the Longhorns honored four seniors in Charlotte Chavatipon, Taisiya Pachkaleva, Malaika Rapolu and Tanya Sasnouskaya. The four-year seniors in Chavatipon and Rapolu both contributed to back-to-back National Championship seasons in 2021 and 2022, including a remarkable 31-1 record in 2021 where the only loss came by a 4-3 score to the then number one team in North Carolina. They have also been a part of two Big 12 regular season championships and three tournament titles, while compiling an outstanding 98-14 team record over the last four seasons. Pachkaleva is in her second year at Texas after transferring from Pepperdine and was part of last year's Big 12 regular season and tournament champions, and she was named the conference Newcomer of the Year in 2023. Meanwhile Sasnoukaya is in her first season as a graduate transfer from Old Dominion and has been a key member of this year's team in the upper part of both the singles and doubles lineups.
-Senior sendoff over BYU
The Longhorns closed out the regular season home careers of four seniors with a 6-1 win over No. 36 BYU on April 6 with all four seniors came away with singles wins. After taking the doubles point with victories at Nos. 3 and 2, the singles wins came from graduate No. 34 Taisiya Pachkaleva at No. 3, senior Taisiya Pachkaleva at No. 4, sophomore Vivian Ovrootsky at No. 5 to clinch, senior No. 117 Charlotte Chavatipon at No. 2, and senior No. 27 Malaika Rapolu at No. 1.
-Sweeping the Raiders
Texas claimed a 4-0 sweep over No. 26 Texas Tech on April 3. It marked the Longhorns' sixth sweep in Big 12 play. After taking the doubles point with wins at Nos. 3 and 1, the Longhorns received singles victories from Taisiya Pachkaleva at No. 4, Vivian Ovrootsky at No. 5, and Tanya Sasnouskaya at No. 3.
-Calming the storm
The Longhorns downed Iowa State, 4-1, on March 30 at the Ames High Tennis Complex. The match was played at Ames High due to renovations to Cyclones' tennis facilities. After clinching the doubles point with wins at Nos. 3 and 1, Texas earned singles wins from Vivian Ovrootsky at No. 5, Charlotte Chavatipon at No. 3, and Taisiya Pachkaleva at No. 4 for the clinch.
-Two straight against Kansas teams
Texas defeated No. 60 Kansas, 4-2, on March 28 at the Jayhawk Tennis Center in Lawrence. After clinching the doubles point with wins at Nos. 1 and 2, Texas received singles victories from seniors Charlotte Chavatipon at No. 3, Shachf Lieberman at No. 6, and Tanya Sasnouskaya on No. 2 for the clinch.
-Back to the broom against K-State
The Longhorns completed their fifth sweep in seven Big 12 matches with a 4-0 decision over Kansas State in Austin on March 24. Texas took an early lead by clinching the doubles point with wins at Nos. 2 and 1 and went on to receive singles victories from Tanya Sasnouskaya at No. 1, Taisiya Pachkaleva at No. 4, and Malaika Rapolu at No. 2 to clinch.
-Another close call against No. 1 Oklahoma State
Texas narrowly fell to No. 1 Oklahoma State, 4-3, on March 22 at the Texas Tennis Center, their second 4-3 defeat to the Cowgirls this season. The Longhorns took an early lead by clinching the doubles point with wins at Nos. 3 and 1, and went on to receive singles victories from sophomore Vivian Ovrootsky at No. 5 and senior Charlotte Chavatipon at No. 3, however Oklahoma State picked up singles wins at Nos. 4, 2, 6 and 1 to win.
-Back-to-back Big 12 4-0 sweeps on the road
The Longhorns swept Houston, 4-0, on the road on March 15 in their first Big 12 road match of the season. It was the third-straight sweep for the Longhorns in Big 12 play. After clinching the doubles point with wins at Nos. 1 and 3, Texas received singles victories from Malaika Rapolu at No. 1, Charlotte Chavatipon at No. 3, and Taisiya Pachkaleva at No. 4. They then traveled to Orlando and earned another 4-0 sweep at No. 57 UCF. After clinching the doubles point with wins at Nos. 1 and 2, the Longhorns secured singles victories Shachf Lieberman at No. 6, Charlotte Chavatipon at No. 3, and Vivian Ovrootsky on No. 5 for the clinch.
-Back-to-back Big 12 7-0 sweeps at home
Texas claimed Big 12 7-0 sweeps over West Virginia on March 8 and Cinncinati on March 10 at the Texas Tennis Center. Against West Virginia, Texas clinched the doubles point with wins at Nos. 3 and 2, and received singles victories from Malaika Rapolu at No. 1, Vivian Ovrootsky at No. 5, Charlotte Chavatipon at No. 3, Tanya Sasnouskaya at No. 2, Taisiya Pachkaleva at No. 4, and Shachf Lieberman at No. 6 for Lieberman's first singles win of her collegiate career. Against Cincinnati, the Longhorns clinched doubles with wins at Nos. 1 and 2, and posted singles victories from Ovrootsky at No. 5, Chavatipon at No. 3, Rapolu at No. 1 for the clinch, Pachkaleva at No. 4, Sasnouskaya at No. 2 and Lieberman at No. 6
-Zeynalova named Big 12 Player of the Week
Sabina Zeynalova was named Big 12 Women's Tennis Player of the Week for the week ending March 3. It is the second Big 12 weekly award of her career after winning her first last season. Zeynalova defeated No. 38 Dana Guzman in straight sets, 7-5, 6-1, in the deciding match to clinch a 4-3 win over No. 15 Oklahoma to open Big 12 Conference play. Zeynalova trailed, 5-2, in the opening set and went on to win 11 of the last 12 games.
-Red River victory to open Big 12 play
The Longhorns opened Big 12 Conference play with a 4-3 victory over No. 15 Oklahoma on March 3 at the Texas Tennis Center. After the Sooners won the doubles point, Texas received singles victories from Malaika Rapolu at No. 3, Taisiya Pachkaleva at No. 5, Charlotte Chavatipon at No. 4, and Sabina Zeynalova at No. 1 for the clinch in the deciding match.
-Another close one on the West Coast
Texas was edged by No. 3 Stanford, 4-3, on Feb. 23 at the Taube Family Tennis Center in Stanford, Calif. The overall match went deep into the third set of the final singles match before the Cardinal was able to prevail. After Texas secured the doubles point and Malaika Rapolu was first off the singles court with her win at No. 3 for a 2-0 lead, Stanford took singles matches at Nos. 5, 2 and 1 for a 3-2 advantage. Vivian Ovrootsky equalized the overall contest with a victory at No. 6 before the Cardinal earned the final win at No. 4.
-Singles sweep vs. Auburn
The Longhorns claimed a 4-1 victory over No. 12 Auburn on Feb. 18. It was the fourth win over a top-12 opponent in the last five matches. After the Tigers won the doubles point, the Longhorns responded with singles victories from Taisiya Pachkaleva at No. 5, Charlotte Chavatipon at No. 4, Sabina Zeynalova at No. 1, and Vivian Ovrootsky at No. 6 for the clinch.
-So close in Seattle
Texas came oh so close to topping eventual ITA Indoors champion Oklahoma State in the quarterfinals. The Longhorns trailed, 3-0, but rallied to push the Cowgirls all the way to a third-set tiebreaker in the final singles match, however they came up just short. Oklahoma State took the doubles point with wins on Nos. 1 and 2, and in singles play, Texas got victories from Malaika Rapolu at No. 3, Sabina Zeynalova at No. 1, and Vivian Ovrootsky on No. 5. Sandwiched around that result were two impressive top-12 wins over No. 9 Texas A&M in the Round of 16, ad No. 12 Ohio State in a consolation match. Against the Aggies, the Longhorns secured the doubles point with wins at Nos. 3 and 1 and earned singles victories from Taisiya Pachkaleva at No. 5, Rapolu at No. 3, and Charlotte Chavatipon at No. 4 to clinch. Texas also took doubles point against the Buckeyes at Nos. 1 and 2, and followed with singles victories from Rapolu at No. 3, Tanya Sasnouskaya at No. 2, and Zeynalova at No. 1. Zeynalova clinched the match with her three-set win as the score was tied, 3-3, after the Longhorns had led, 3-1.
-Seven-straight trips to the ITA National Indoor Championships
The Longhorns advanced to the ITA National Indoor Championships for the seventh-straight year in 2024. Texas reached the quarterfinals in five of those trips, including the last four (2019, 2021-24), while advancing all the way to the final in 2021 when they were edged by then No. 1 North Carolina, 4-3, in what would be the only loss of the season on the way to winning the first of back-to-back NCAA National Championships. That was UT's second all-time appearance in the final, along with 2006 against Stanford. The Longhorns have also won two matches in each of the last five tournaments, including consolation matches in 2020 and 2022-24 (2021 began with the quarters).
-Pachkaleva named Big 12 Player of the Week
Taisiya Pachkaleva was named Big 12 Women's Tennis Player of the Week for the week ending Feb. 4, to earn the first conference weekly honor in her Big 12 career at Texas. Pachkaleva went a combined 4-0 in singles and doubles leading Texas to two ranked wins over No. 25 Wisconsin and No. 4 Georgia. Both doubles victories came against top-60 opponents, including a strong 6-1 win over No. 50 Maria Sholokhova and Alina Mukhortova of Wisconsin, and a 6-3 win over No. 58 Aysegul Mert and Dasha Vidmanova of Georgia that clinched the doubles point in that match. Pachkaleva also clinched the overall match against the Bulldogs with a 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 win over Guillermina Grant at No. 5 in the one-point UT victory. Against the Badgers, Pachkaleva's 7-5, 6-0 singles victory over Kaja Jacobson at No. 5 provided the Longhorns a 3-0 overall lead.
-Turning around for a top-five victory
Texas topped No. 4 Georgia, 4-3, on Feb. 4 at the Weller Indoor Tennis Center. The Longhorns clinched at 4-2 and earned their second ranked win in as many days in a span just over 24 hours. After taking the doubles point with wins at Nos. 3 and 1, Texas earned singles victories from seniors Charlotte Chavatipon at No. 4, Malaika Rapolu at No. 3, and Taisiya Pachkaleva at No. 5 to clinch.
-7-0 sweep of No. 25 Wisconsin
The Longhorns claimed a 7-0 sweep against No. 25 Wisconsin on Feb. 3 at the Weller Indoor Tennis Center, completing the match without dropping a set. After taking the doubles point with wins at Nos. 1 and 3, the Longhorns earned singles victories from Tanya Sasnouskaya at No. 2, Taisiya Pachkaleva at No. 5, Vivian Ovrootsky at No. 6, Sabina Zeynalova at No. 1, Malaika Rapolu at No. 4, and Charlotte Chavatipon at No. 3.
-ITA Kickoff Weekend Texas Regional Champions
Texas hosted an ITA Kickoff Weekend regional for the sixth-straight year and produced a pair of 4-0 sweeps, first over Baylor in the first round, and then Florida State in the championships match from January 26-27. With the wins, the Longhorns advanced to the ITA National Indoor Championships for the seventh-straight time. Against Baylor, Texas took the doubles point with wins at Nos. 1 and 2, received singles victories within minutes of each other from Malaika Rapolu at No. 3, Charlotte Chavatipon at No. 4 and Tanya Sasnouskaya at No. 2. The Longhorns then captured doubles against Florida State with wins at Nos. 1 and 2, and had singles victories from Vivian Ovrootsky at No. 6, Chavatipon at No. 4, and Rapolu at No. 3.
-Strange things afoot in California
The Longhorns traveled to Los Angeles with intensions of playing two matches against No. 16 UCLA and No. 21 USC on Jan. 19 and 21, respectively, however in challenging circumstances, only the match against the Bruins was played, and during that, Texas found itself extremely shorthanded in a 5-2 defeat. Due to illness within the team, Texas was able to fight its way through doubles against the Bruins, falling in a tiebreaker in the third and deciding match, but then was forced to remove two players from singles, leading to an adjusted lineup with two forfeits and a 3-0 deficit before singles play even began. The Longhorns still managed to win two singles contests by Malaika Rapolu and Taisiya Pachkaleva at Nos. 2 and 3, but came up short at Nos. 1 and 4. The match at USC was then postponed due to inclement weather and is planned for a February 25 make-up date.
-Back in 2024
Texas returns seven players from its 2023 squad that won a share of the Big 12 Regular Season Championship, its third-straight Big 12 tournament title and advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight for the third-straight year. Included in that group is sophomore Susanna Brass, senior Charlotte Chavatipon, senior Gabby Cusano, sophomore Vivian Ovrootsky, senior Taisiya Pachkaleva, senior Malaika Rapolu and junior Sabina Zeynalova. Taisiya Pachkaleva was tabbed the Big 12 Newcomer of the Year, Charlotte Chavatipon was selected to the All-Big 12 singles first team, and Sabina Zeynalova was tabbed to the All-Big 12 singles second team. The duo of Chavatipon and Zeynalova were selected to the All-Big 12 doubles first team. In addition, Zeynalova claimed Big 12 individual champion honors at No. 3 singles (5-1) and Pachkaleva was named the Big 12 individual champion at No. 4 singles (5-2). Year. Pachkaleva became just the third Longhorn in league history to earn Newcomer of the Year honors and first since the 2007, joining a group of former UT winners that includes Vanja Corovic (2007) and Vladka Uhlirova (2000).
-New faces in 2024
Several newcomers join the team, including Tanya Sasnouskaya, who is a graduate transfer from Old Dominion and is from Minsk Belarus and arrived for the fall semester. As a senior at Old Dominion in 2023, Sasnouskaya advanced to the second round of the NCAA Singles Championship and was No. 25 in the final ITA national singles rankings. She went undefeated in Sun Belt Conference play in singles and earned Sun Belt Player of the Year and first-team All-Sun Belt singles accolades. She also advanced to the second round of the NCAA Doubles Championship and was No. 26 in the final ITA national doubles rankings. Three freshmen will also be on the roster, including Charlotte Kempenaers-Pocz from Glengowrie, Australia; Shachf Lieberman from Modiin Israel; and Maddy MacNeille from Delray Beach, Fla. Kempenaers-Pocz is one of the top juniors players in the world with a career high ranking of No. 35, while she has also been ranked as high as No. 760 in singles and No. 447 in doubles by the WTA, while Lieberman has held a career-high juniors ranking of No. 358, and career-high WTA rankings of No. 1239 in singles and No. 1380 in doubles.
-Fall Wrap-Up
The Longhorns won several titles in the fall, highlighted by Malaika Rapolu taking the singles title at the ITA Texas Regionals prior to reaching the round of 16 at ITA Fall Nationals. It marked the 13th consecutive year head coach Howard Joffe has had a singles finalist or winner at the Texas Regionals with nine straight at Texas and the previous four at Texas A&M. At the 2023 tournament, Joffe had both, as Charlotte Chavatipon also made the singles final. Not only that, but the duo of Tanya Sasnouskaya and Sabina Zeynalova were doubles finalists. Rapolu also claimed the singles and doubles titles at the River Oaks Invitational to start the fall, partnering with Vivian Ovrootsky for that doubles championship. Meanwhile, Ovrootsky had singles success, as well, taking the title of the Texas A&M Invitational and reaching the final of the USTA SoCal Intercollegiate Championships. Overall, the Longhorns posted a 50-34 singles record in fall play, and an 18-11 doubles mark. Rapolu and Ovrootsky led the way in singles, registering 17-3 and 11-6 records, respectively. They also combined for a 9-4 record in doubles.
-Year seven at the Texas Tennis Center
Texas completed its seventh year at the Texas Tennis Center with an 11-1 mark and a now has a 72-7 (.911) overall record in its history. Last season, the Longhorns were 11-2, highlighted by a 6-1 win over No. 6 Iowa State. The season before that, the Longhorns posted a 9-1 record with the only losses coming in a 4-3 decision to No. 4 NC State. Texas went undefeated in 2021 with a 13-0 mark, which included a 7-0 sweep over No. 7 Baylor. In a shortened season in 2020, UT recorded a 7-1 record with the only defeat being 4-3 to No. 12 Stanford. The Longhorns finished 2019 at 8-2, with a pair of wins over top-20 foes Florida State and Kansas, while their only defeats were also to top-20 opponents in Pepperdine and Texas A&M. During its inaugural season, Texas registered another undefeated 13-0 season, including winning the 2018 Big 12 Tournament and logging top-15 wins over No. 6 Stanford, No. 12 Oklahoma State and No. 14 Texas Tech.
Players Mentioned
