The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
TCU
No. 11 Women’s Tennis preview: at No. 53 TCU
02.19.2025 | Women's Tennis
The Longhorns travel to Fort Worth for their final regular season non-conference match.
No. 11 Women's Tennis preview: at No. 53 TCU
Team Records: Texas (5-3, 0-0 SEC), TCU (3-2, 0-0 Big 12)
When: Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025, 5 p.m. CT
Where: Friedman Tennis Center, Fort Worth, Texas
Live Stats: https://hookem.at/WTN-Stats
Live Video: With the match being played indoors due to weather, live video will not be available.
Updated Team Stats
Notes
-TCU Series: Texas leads, 33-7
Texas leads the all-time series with TCU, 33-7, dating back in records starting in 1978. The Longhorns have won the last 11 in the series beginning in 2016 with the Horned Frogs claiming the three prior to that in 2014 and 2015. Last season, the Longhorns traveled to Fort Worth and came away with a 4-1 win in the final conference meeting between the programs. With the Big 12 schedule having been in 2024 with the addition of new teams, Texas also played at TCU in 2023 and came away with a 4-2 win. The teams later met in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Championship in Lawrence, Kansas, with the Longhorns taking that one, 4-1. The prior two matches were both 7-0 sweeps in 2021 in Fort Worth and 2022 in Austin.
Last Three Meetings
#8 Texas 4, #40 TCU 1
Friday, April 12, 2024
Fort Worth, Texas • Friedman Tennis Center
Singles – Order of Finish (1,2,5,6)
1. Malaika Rapolu (TEXAS) def. #58 Destinee Martins (TCU) 6-1, 6-1
2. Charlotte Chavatipon (TEXAS) def. Jade Otway (TCU) 6-2, 6-4
3. Isabel Pascual (TCU) vs. Tanya Sasnouskaya (TEXAS) 6-3, 4-6, unf.
4. Yu-Chin Tsai (TCU) vs. Taisiya Pachkaleva (TEXAS) 6-7 (4), 4-2, unf.
5. Raquel Caballero (TCU) def. Vivian Ovrootsky (TEXAS) 6-3, 6-4
6. Shachf Lieberman (TEXAS) def. Helena Narmont (TCU) 6-0, 6-4
Doubles – Order of Finish (2,3,1)
1. Malaika Rapolu/Tanya Sasnouskaya (TEXAS) def. Jade Otway/Isabel Pascual (TCU) 7-6 (3)
2. Charlotte Chavatipon/Vivian Ovrootsky (TEXAS) def. Chiho Mushika/Yu-Chin Tsai (TCU) 6-4
3. Destinee Martins/Helena Narmont (TCU) def. Taisiya Pachkaleva/Shachf Lieberman (TEXAS) 7-5
#12 Texas 4, #49 TCU 1
Friday, April 21, 2023
Lawrence, Kansas • Jayhawk Tennis Center (Big 12 Championship Quarterfinals)
Singles – Order of finish (6,3,4,1)
#92 Nicole Khirin (UT) def. Tiphanie Lemaitre (TCU), 6-1, 1-6, 6-2
#97 Charlotte Chavatipon (UT) vs. #114 Mercedes Aristegui (TCU), 1-6, 6-4, 3-2, unf.
#108 Sabina Zeynalova (UT) def. Destinee Martins (TCU), 6-4, 6-4
Taisiya Pachkaleva (UT) def. Yu-Chin Tsai (TCU), 6-4, 7-5
Nicole Rivkin (UT) vs. Jade Otway (TCU), 7-5, 2-6, 0-1, unf.
Helena Narmont (TCU) def. Malaika Rapolu (UT), 6-1, 6-3
Doubles – Order of finish (2,1)
#54 Charlotte Chavatipon/Sabina Zeynalova (UT) def. Mercedes Aristegui/Jade Otway (TCU), 6-3
Taisiya Pachkaleva/Nicole Rivkin (UT) def. Helena Narmont/Yu-Chin Tsai (TCU), 6-0
Nicole Khirin/Malaika Rapolu (UT) vs. Tiphanie Lemaitre/Destinee Martins (TCU), 4-4, unf.
#9 Texas 4, #61 TCU 2
Friday, March 31, 2023
Fort Worth, Texas • Friedman Tennis Center
Singles – Order of finish (2,3,4,1,6)
Tiphanie Lemaitre (TCU) def. #76 Nicole Khirin (UT), 6-3, 7-6 (5)
#123 Mercedes Aristegui (TCU) def. #66 Charlotte Chavatipon (UT), 6-3, 6-4
#110 Sabina Zeynalova (UT) def. Jade Otway (TCU), 7-6 (3), 6-0
Taisiya Pachkaleva (UT) def. Yu-Chin Tsai (TCU), 6-2, 6-4
Malaika Rapolu (UT) vs. Destinee Martins (TCU), 4-6, 7-6 (3), 1-1, unf.
Nicole Rivkin (UT) def. Helena Narmont (TCU), 6-4, 5-7, 6-0
Doubles – Order of finish (1,2)
#41 Charlotte Chavatipon/Sabina Zeynalova (UT) def. #67 Helena Narmont/Yu-Chin Tsai (TCU), 6-2
Nicole Rivkin/Taisiya Pachkaleva (UT) def. Mercedes Aristegui/Jade Otway (TCU), 6-4
Nicole Khirin/Malaika Rapolu (UT) vs. Destinee Martins/Tiphanie Lemaitre (TCU), 5-5, unf.
-Texas vs. TCU in 2024-25 tournament play
ITA Texas Regionals
9 seed Ariana Anazagasty-Pursoo (UT) def. 9 seed Jade Otway (TCU), 7-5, 6-4
4 seed #96 Vivian Ovrootsky (UT) def. Raquel Caballero Chica (TCU), 6-1, 6-3
5 seed #104 Ashton Bowers (UT) def. Isabel Pascual (TCU), 6-2, 6-3
-ITA Team Rankings
Just like last season, Texas was ranked No. 7 in the ITA preseason coaches poll, which was released January 6, however after falling in the season opener at USC, fell to No. 12, but rose to No. 11 after winning the ITA Kickoff Weekend regional title, and then to No. 8 following an ITA Indoors quarterfinals appearance. The first computer rankings were then released on February 20 with Texas coming in at No. 11. The Longhorns finished the 2023-24 season No. 11, just outside of the Top 10 where they had finished each of the previous six years. 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
Six UT singles players were included in the latest ITA singles rankings that were released on February 20, four of which are freshmen, plus two doubles pairs.
Texas
Singles
No. 25 Carmen Herea
No. 54 Ariana Anazagasty-Pursoo
No. 87 Sabina Zeynalova
No. 104 Ashton Bowers
No. 107 Vivian Ovrootsky
No. 124 Eszter Meri
Doubles
No. 36 Sabina Zeynalova/Ashton Bowers
No. 63 Ashton Bowers/Ariana Anazagasty-Pursoo
TCU
Singles
N/A
Doubles
No. 24 Isabel Pascual/Jade Otway
-ITA Indoors Quarterfinalists
In winning the 2025 ITA Kickoff Weekend Texas Regional, the Longhorns advanced to the ITA National Indoor Championships for the eighth-straight year. With a 4-0 sweep of No. 3 Oklahoma State in the first match there, Texas reached the quarterfinals for the sixth time in those trips, including the last five (2019, 2021-25). Against the Cowgirls, the Longhorns took the doubles point with wins at Nos. 3 and 2, including in a tiebreaker in the deciding match at No. 2. They then followed with singles victories by Salma Drugdova at No. 5, Ashton Bowers at No. 4, and Vivian Ovrootsky at No. 6. Texas then faced No. 2 Texas A&M, and after dropping an extremely close doubles point in a tiebreaker of the deciding match, the Longhorns received singles victories from Ariana Anazagasty-Pursoo at No. 6 and Aston Bowers at No. 3. However, the Aggies added singles wins at Nos. 5, 1 and 2 to clinch at 4-2, including three-set decisions at Nos. 1 and 2, while the match at No. 4 was left unfinished heading into a third set. In the consolation match, Texas fell to No. 7 Michigan, 4-1, winning a dramatic doubles point with victories at Nos. 1 and 3 and was in position in both of the unfinished singles matches, but fell in contests at Nos. 2, 5, 3 and 1.
-Back-to-back SEC Freshmen of the Week
Carmen Herea was named the SEC Freshman of the Week, the conference announced Feb. 5. It is her first career conference award, and the second-straight week a Longhorn has earned the honor, following Eszter Meri on Jan. 29. Herea posted both singles and doubles wins in helping Texas to a 4-3 win over No. 19 NC State. Her singles victory came over Kristina Paskauskas at No. 2 and evened the overall score at 3-3 before the Longhorns won, 4-3. She and partner Salma Drugdova had evened the doubles point with a win against Anna Zyryanova and Mia Slama before the Wolf Pack took the deciding doubles match in a tiebreaker. Meri went a combined 3-1 in wins over Maryland and Baylor, including clinching a 4-3 victory over the Bears in a third-set tiebreaker of the final singles match to deliver an ITA Kickoff Weekend regional championship. It also advanced the Longhorns to the ITA National Indoor Championships.
-Quick work of the Wildcats
Texas swept Abilene Christian, 5-0, on Feb. 2 at the Weller Indoor Tennis Center. The Longohrns earned doubles wins at Nos. 2 and 3 and followed with singles victories by Shachf Lieberman at No. 5, Ashton Bowers at No. 3, Ariana Anazagasty-Pursoo at No. 4 for the clinch, and Vivian Ovrootsky at No. 6. In the six combined singles and doubles wins, Texas lost a total of just seven games.
-Send them Packing
Texas prevailed, 4-3, over No. 19 NC State on Jan. 31 at the Weller Indoor Tennis Center. For the second time in a week, Longhorns came away with a victory after securing a third-set tiebreaker in the final singles match. After NC State took the doubles point in a tiebreaker of the final match at No. 1, Texas answered with the first two singles wins by Sabina Zeynaolva at No. 1 and Ariana Anazagasty-Pursoo at No. 5. The Wolf Pack retook the lead with wins at Nos. 2 and 4, but the Longhorns captured the last two matches, first by Carmen Herea at No. 3, and this time, Vivian Ovrootsky did the honors with the clinch at No. 6.
-Back to the ITA Indoors
Texas won the championship of the ITA Kickoff Weekend Austin Regional with a 4-3 comeback win over Baylor at the Texas Tennis Center on Jan. 25. With the win, the Longhorns advanced to the ITA National Indoor Championships for the eighth-straight year with this year's tournament taking place from February 7-10 in Evanston and Champaign, Ill. After Baylor won the doubles point and the first singles match at No. 3 for a 2-0 lead, Texas ran off three-straight singles victories by Vivian Ovrootsky at No. 6, Carmen Herea at No. 5 and Sabina Zeynalova at No. 1. The Bears then evened the score with a win at No. 4 before Eszter Meri clinched the victory in a third-set tiebreaker at No. 2. Prior to that, Texas swept Maryland, 4-0, on Jan. 24. The Longhorns took the doubles point with wins at Nos. 2 and 3 and continued with singles victories from a trio of freshmen in Eszter Meri at No. 2, Salma Drugdova at No. 4, and Carmen Herea at No. 5, who clinched the overall match.
-So close in LA
Texas came up just short, 4-3, at No. 17 USC in Los Angeles on January 17 in the 2025 season opener, however they earned three individual wins against top-50 opponents. The ranked wins were led by a top-10 doubles victory for senior Sabina Zeynalova and Ashton Bowers over the No. 7 pair of Grace Piper and Lily Fairclough at No. 1. Meanwhile, Zeynalova also defeated No. 37 Piper at No. 1 singles, and Eszter Meri topped No. 45 Emma Charney at No. 2 singles. The other singles win came from Vivian Ovrootsky at No. 6 singles. Despite the win at No. 1 doubles, USC had taken the doubles point with wins at Nos. 3 and 2, and then collected singles wins at Nos. 5, 3 and 4 to clinch the overall match.
-Horns host Texas Invite
The Longhorns hosted players from San Diego, Tennessee and Wisconsin at the Texas Invite from January 10-12 in Austin. Day one was forced indoors to the Weller Tennis Center due to weather, but the last two days were able to be held at the Texas Tennis Center. Both freshman Ariana Anazagasty-Pursoo and junior Vivian Ovrootsky posted 6-0 records over the three days, playing in the maximum number of three singles matches and three doubles matches and winning them all. Freshman Carmen Herea also posted a top-10 victory over No. 10 Elza Tomase of Tennessee on the second day, while Anazagasty-Pursoo downed No. 19 Catherine Aulia, also of Tennessee. In all, Texas posted a combined 16 singles and doubles wins.
-Joffe in Year 10
Head Coach Howard Joffe is in his 10th 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 seven years in the top 11 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, No. 7 in 2023 and No. 11 in 2024. The Longhorns also have captured four Big 12 regular-season championships (2018, 2019, 2021 and 2023-co) and four Big 12 postseason tournament titles (2018, 2021, 2022 and 2023) in their last seven opportunities 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 193-49 (.798) mark in his time at Texas. During his 18 seasons as a collegiate head coach, he has tallied a 324-110 (.747) 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 six Longhorns earn a total of eight 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, Kylie Collins in 2022, and Malaika Rapolu in 2024) 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, 19 players have registered a combined 26 All-Big 12 singles and 22 All-Big 12 doubles selections in Joffe's tenure in Austin.
-Back from 2024
Texas will have a different look from 2024, but at the same time return five familiar faces. Senior Sabina Zeynalova, who has significant experience at the top of the singles lineup is back after being limited much of last season due to injury. Junior Vivian Ovrootsky also returns after compiling a 27-12 singles record last year and a 26-9 doubles mark. Following Zeynalova's injury, sophomore Shachf Lieberman stepped into the lineup admirably as a true freshman and posted a 7-4 singles record at No. 6, and a 7-5 doubles mark at No. 3. Sophomore Maddy MacNeille, who played in one dual match last season, and redshirt freshman Charlotte Kempenaers-Pocz also return.
-Seven newcomers arrive for their first dual match season on the 40
The Longhorns add seven new faces for 2025 with three of those already earning ITA singles rankings following the fall in freshmen No. 28 Carmen Herea from Bucharest, Romania, No. 44 Ariana Anazagasty-Pursoo from Westbury, N.Y., and No. 65 Aston Bowers from Alpharetta, Ga. In addition to those, a pair of freshmen from Slovakia in Eszter Meri of Trstena na Ostrove, and Salma Drugdova of Zvolen, are expected to be impact players in the lineup. The Longhorns also added a pair of native Texans in Lucy Schmeil of Austin and Audrey Deatherage of Tyler.
-Fall/Summer Wrap-up
In the first year of the NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships being moved to the fall, freshmen Ariana Anazagasty-Pursoo and Ashton Bowers both received singles bids. Anazagasty-Pursoo fell to top-30 player Carson Tanguilig of North Carolina in the round of 64, while Bowers was forced to withdraw due to injury. However, prior to that, both reached the singles final of the ITA Texas Regionals with Anazagasty-Pursoo winning the title. Additionally, Vivian Ovrootsky had reached the semifinals to give the Longhorns three out of four in that round, and Ovrootsky won the third-place match. The pairing of Ovrootsky and Bowers also reached the doubles quarterfinals.
-Year eight at the Texas Tennis Center
Texas is in its eighth year at the Texas Tennis Center with a 73-7 (.913) overall record, including a 2-0 record this season. Last year, the Longhorns posted a 10-1 mark with wins over No. 12 Auburn and No. 15 Oklahoma, and the only loss being 4-3 to No. 1 Oklahoma State. 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
