SAN ANTONIO – UTSA women’s tennis kicks off the 2026 spring season on Thursday at the UTSA Tennis Center, hosting cross-town action with St. Mary’s as the season-opening opposition. First serve is set for 1 p.m. between the Roadrunners and Rattlers to open the eighth season under head coach Ki Kroll.
Last season, the Roadrunners achieved the highest ITA ranking in program history after a historic best start of a 13-0 surge that ran into late February – climbing as high as No. 44. The Roadrunners finished the campaign at 19-5, reaching the second round of the American Conference Championships in Memphis before falling to top-seeded Florida Atlantic.
UTSA welcomes back Natalia Castaneda Guerrero, Milica Milosavljevic, Aoka Nagasawa and Valeria Sanchez with four players lost from last year’s roster. Joining the 2026 squad are Haifa, Israel freshman Celine Absawi, Sicilian freshman Giuliana Giardina, Picassent, Spain freshman Laia Tarazona Peyro and transfer sophomores Ayra Salim (Portland State, San Diego, Calif.) and Akari Tomoyose (Cowley College, Okinawa, Japan).
UTSA and St. Mary’s will meet for the first time since January 2016, when the Roadrunners claimed a 6-1 victory at UTSA Tennis Center. The Rattlers of the Lone Star Conference went 17-4 last season, taking an at-large bid to the NCAA Division II South Central Regional and open the 2026 season with a No. 12 national ITA ranking after climbing to 11th last season.
Up next, the Roadrunners will make an immediate road swing north for a matchup against Texas State in the Battle for I-35 on Friday, Jan. 23. The following week will see road matches at Abilene Christian and then Tarleton State on Friday and Saturday.
- UTSA -