Half the Roster Is New: UTRGV Women’s Tennis Opens a New Chapter

There might not be a UTRGV team with more to figure out this fall than women’s tennis.

The Vaqueros return experience, including a player who went 8-1 in Southland Conference singles last season. But they also welcome five new players to a 10-player roster, including a transfer who finished her freshman season on an 18-match winning streak.

Five returners. Five new faces.

Starting Friday at the Islander Open in Corpus Christi, we get our first look at how it all fits together.

UTRGV is coming off a 5-15 season that ended with a 4-1 loss to Northwestern State in the Southland Conference quarterfinals.

Now head coach West Nott has a much different roster to work with.

Four Vaqueros to Watch

Luna Buijtenhuijs, Junior

Start here.

Buijtenhuijs finished last season 13-11 overall in singles and 10-9 in dual matches. But the number that really gets our attention is 8-1 in Southland play.

She finished the season on a four-match singles winning streak and gives UTRGV something it already knows it has: someone who proved she can consistently win against Southland competition.

Rhea Makesar, Senior

Makesar gives UTRGV another proven conference player.

She went 11-15 overall, 10-11 in dual matches and 6-3 against Southland opponents. She was especially effective at No. 5 singles, going 4-1.

Makesar also provided UTRGV’s singles victory in last season’s conference tournament loss to Northwestern State.

Hitakamya Narwal, Senior

Narwal is especially interesting because of what she can give UTRGV in doubles.

She went 9-15 overall in doubles, but that record jumped to 6-3 against Southland competition. She also played at several different spots in the singles lineup.

With five new players potentially creating new doubles combinations, Narwal’s experience could become even more valuable.

Giuliana Castelain, Senior

Castelain gives us a local story to follow, but there’s more behind her senior season than what shows up in the stat sheet.

The McAllen native and McAllen High graduate has dealt with a lingering ankle injury. She is now exploring options to address it.

That context matters when looking at her limited action.

For Castelain, this year isn’t simply about where she fits into the lineup. It’s about navigating the next step with an injury she’s been dealing with.

We’re wishing the Valley product the best as she gets healthy and works toward what’s next.

Newcomer to Watch: Mariangel Estrella

This one wasn’t difficult.

Estrella arrives from East Tennessee State after going 18-2 in singles as a freshman.

She finished the year on an 18-match winning streak, went 7-0 in conference play and earned SoCon Tournament Most Outstanding Player and All-SoCon Freshman Team honors while helping ETSU reach the NCAA Tournament.

Estrella was also an All-SoCon First Team doubles selection and won a doubles match against Clemson in the NCAA Tournament.

That’s a serious résumé to add to a team looking to take a step forward.

We’re not going to guess where Nott puts her in the lineup. That’s part of what makes this fall worth watching.

A Lot More Competition

Estrella isn’t the only newcomer.

Juana Gomez Weiss arrives as a junior transfer from North Carolina A&T, where she went 8-4 in singles last season. Charlotte Holmes joins as a sophomore transfer from Oakland.

UTRGV also added freshmen Mirka Delaney from Quebec, Canada, and Bethania Bonaguro from Caracas, Venezuela.

Then there’s Madeleine Joffe, a returning senior who joins Buijtenhuijs, Makesar, Narwal and Castelain as the five players back from last year’s roster.

That’s 10 players and plenty of possibilities as Nott starts sorting through singles positions and doubles combinations.

Diamond DITV Final Word

Nobody needs to decide what this UTRGV team is after one weekend in Corpus Christi.

That’s what the fall is for.

Nott has said these tournaments give his players an opportunity to see how they stack up individually while allowing UTRGV to learn where it needs to improve before the spring.

But there are some intriguing pieces here.

Buijtenhuijs already proved she can win in the Southland. Makesar and Narwal bring conference experience. Castelain gives the Valley a hometown senior to follow. And Estrella arrives after a freshman season that immediately gets our attention.

Five returners. Five new faces.

Now we get to see who earns their spot.