Despite one of its worst seasons in recent memory, Texas women’s tennis earned a first-round bye in the Southeastern Conference championship tournament.
Texas struggled through the beginning of the season, holding a conference record of 4-6 before going on a five-match winning streak.
The pressure was on for head coach Howard Joffe as he attempted to rally the troops against No. 1 Georgia. Here’s how the Longhorns got to that game and how they accomplished their win.
Recruiting troubles
Joffe’s team was challenged not only with the switch to SEC, but also with recruiting troubles. Aware of key senior leaders leaving the roster, Joffe went hard on the recruiting trail, securing blue-chip prospect Australian-American Maya Joint.
According to the Tennis Recruiting Network, Texas had obtained the No. 1 2024 recruiting class, bringing on freshmen Ashton Bowers, Ariana Anazagasty-Pursoo and Carmen Herea.
The future seemed bright as the 2024 class enrolled at Texas. It was even reported by the New York Times that Maya Joint had left behind $140,000 in prize money from the U.S. Open in order to stay committed to Texas.
“By winning three matches in qualifying and making the second round, Joint won $140,000. NCAA rules prevent her from collecting a penny beyond $10,000 of it, except what she spent on ‘actual and necessary’ expenses related to the tournament,” New York Times reporter Matthew Futterman wrote.
Months later, on Dec. 26, Forbes contributor Adam Zagoria announced Joint would turn professional, meaning Joffe’s best recruit had left.
Texas would begin the 2025 season without its blue-chip recruit, but it wasn’t until senior Sabina Zeynalova got injured that things went downhill. The rest of the team was made up primarily of underclassmen, with recruits from the 2024 class taking center stage. Texas went on a three-match losing streak.
The Rally
After its loss to No. 7 Tennessee, Texas got hot, defeating Kentucky, Alabama and Mississippi State, all without Zeynalova. The team’s last stand would be at the Texas Tennis Center, with Zeynalova returning to the lineup for the first time since March 16th.
No. 56 Zeynalova would face No. 1 Dasha Vidmanova in her singles return. Zeynalova wasn’t able to come back true to form, with Vidamanova beating Zeynalova easily in two games.
The freshman duo of Anazagasty-Pursoo and Bowers also lost against Vidmanova, who was paired with senior Mell Reasco. In Zeynalova’s doubles return, paired with Herea, they took down No. 90 Aysegul Mert and Hayden Mulberry.
It would be the freshmen who helped win the last three matches to help defeat the Bulldogs. Bowers, Eszter Meri and Charlotte Kempenaers-Pocz all clinched singles victories. Texas eventually clinched the match 4-2.
Texas faced South Carolina 48 hours later for their Senior Day, claiming a win to secure the eighth seed in the SEC Championship. The championship will take place April 16-20 at Yarbrough Tennis Center in Auburn, Alabama.