SAN ANTONIO – On Thursday, UTSA Women’s Tennis began its 2026 spring slate by hosting the Rattlers of nearby St. Mary’s. The Roadrunners took the first five points of the afternoon before walking away with a 5-2 victory, securing a season-opening win for the third consecutive year.
Head Coach Ki Kroll, on the victory: “The win is always important. Getting that first one under your belt gets everyone going. There are a lot of nerves going on at the beginning because we have a bunch of new players. They all stepped up and they’re working hard, so we look forward to trying to put a really good season together this year.”
Match 1
The Roadrunners took the match's first point, sweeping all three doubles courts. Celine Absawi and Laia Tarazona Peyro notched the first set win of the day by a score of 6-3 on No. 3. Then, Natalia Castaneda Guerrero paired up with Guiliana Giardina for a 6-4 win on No. 1. Mere minutes later, the Japanese duo of Aoka Nagasawa and Akari Tomoyose powered through to a 6-3 triumph.
To kick off singles play, Tarazona Peyro (No. 6) made the quickest work of her competition, earning a 6-1, 6-0 victory for the home squad. Already holding a two-point match lead, fellow UTSA freshman Giuliana Giardina went 6-0, 6-2 on the fourth court.
In another decisive battle, Nagasawa responded quickly after dropping her first game, winning 12 in a row to the tune of a 6-1, 6-0 mark. The sophomore’s point on the fifth singles court clinched victory for the home side, but both sides played on in what was an exhibition for the NCAA Division II Rattlers.
On No. 2, Absawi then tallied the fifth point for her side, cruising to a 6-2, 6-0 win. From there, the final two courts fell in favor of St. Mary’s. Castaneda Guerrero (6-4, 6-2) and Tomoyose (6-3, 7-6) each suffered defeat, doing so on No. 1 and No. 3, respectively.
Final Score: UTSA 5, St. Mary’s 2
Jan. 22, 2026
UTSA Tennis Center
San Antonio, Texas
Singles
- Alessia Terlizzi (STMU) def. Natalia Castaneda Guerrero (UTSA) 6-4, 6-2
- Celine Absawi (UTSA) def. Janel Ospanova (STMU) 6-2, 6-0
- Selina Wu (STMU) def. Akari Tomoyose (UTSA) 6-3, 7-6
- Giuliana Giardina (UTSA) def. Sarah Wooten (STMU) 6-0, 6-2
- Aoka Nagasawa (UTSA) def. Gia Posito (STMU) 6-1, 6-0
- Laia Tarazona Peyro (UTSA) def. Breeze Simon (STMU) 6-1, 6-0
Doubles
- Natalia Castaneda Guerrero/Giuliana Giardina (UTSA) def. Selina Wu/Janel Ospanova (STMU) 6-4
- Akari Tomoyose/Aoka Nagasawa (UTSA) def. Alessia Terlizzi/Gia Posito (STMU) 6-3
- Laia Tarazona Peyro/Celine Absawi (UTSA) def. Breeze Simon/Sarah Wooten (STMU) 6-3
Records: UTSA 1-0, St. Mary’s 0-0
Order of finish: Doubles: (3, 1, 2); Singles: (6, 4, 5, 2, 1, 3)
Up Next
The Roadrunners will be back in action tomorrow, Jan. 23, in San Marcos, Texas. The Friday battle at Texas State is slated to commence at 11 a.m., with the Bobcats (0-2) on the prowl for their first win of the season. Live results will be available via StatBroadcast.
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