Texans take every set against Dixie State in 6th sweep of season

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PHOENIX – Tarleton had an early match on Saturday, and by the time it quickly finished, the Texans could celebrate with a victory brunch.

Tarleton won every single set in their match against Dixie State, sweeping the Trailblazers 7-0 in Phoenix in a neutral site competition at the GCU Tennis Facility.

This marks their sixth sweep in 13 matches played for Tarleton, a tennis program that is now 10-3 overall. The 13 matches played is the shortest number of matches needed for Tarleton to get 10 wins in the last eight years, since 2013-14. Tarleton finished this week 3-1, winners of nine of their last 10 matches.

Dixie State had their two-match winning streak snapped, dropping to 2-10 on the season.

Tarleton switched their lineup a bit to start this one, debuting three new doubles pairings. Instead of the usual Deniza Marcinkevica-Jemi Aguilar duo at No. 1, it was Marcinkevica and Martha Makantasi, who defeated Juliana Honczaruk and Rachel Mellor 6-4. At No. 2 Aguilar matched with Elsa Boisson, and they cruised over Alexandra Hildreth and Ya-Chi Hsu 6-2. At No. 3, Celia Vaudiau and Anna Davidson rolled Sabrina Longson and Jane Dorny 6-1.

In singles, it was mostly the same group, the only difference being Davidson playing in the No. 6 spot instead of Natalia Komar.

All six Texans were winners in straight sets. Marcinkevica won via retirement 6-2, 3-0 over Hildreth at No. 1. Aguilar won 6-2, 6-0 over Hsu at No. 2. Makantasi defeated Honczaruk 6-1, 6-1 at No. 3. Boisson upended Longson 6-0, 6-2 at No. 4. Vaudiau won 6-2, 6-4 over Mellor. And finally, Davidson won 6-1, 6-2 over Dorny.

All six athletes who competed in singles for the purple and white Saturday boast winning records, led by Vaudiau’s incredible 11-1 mark, riding an active 11-match winning streak. Boisson and Makantasi each have a 10-3 overall record, each also with an active three-match winning streak. Aguilar and Marcinkevica are each 6-4 overall, with Aguilar taking five matches in a row. Davidson is now 2-1, with two straight wins.

It was a perfect trip to the Valley of the Sun for Tarleton, leaving with a 2-0 mark in Phoenix. The Texans have lost just a single time since Jan. 22, a highly competitive 2-4 defeat at Louisiana Tech, who has now won 11 straight matches and is 13-2 on the year. Tarleton’s other two losses towards the beginning of the spring were to current top-10 ranked Power Five programs on the road. Oklahoma is No. 3 in the ITA Division I Women’s Team Rankings, and Texas A&M is No. 8.

Tarleton will have little time off before their next match, set to play on Tuesday at 4 p.m. CT against Missouri State in a neutral site bout at the Southeastern Tennis Complex in Durant, Oklahoma. MSU is winless this season, 0-9.

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