UTA women’s tennis charted a major milestone this year: For the first time since joining the Sun Belt Conference in 2014, the team claimed the regular Sun Belt Conference season championship.
The team was undefeated (8-0) in 2021 against Sun Belt competition, doubling its win totals of 4-0 in 2015 and 2016. They advanced to tournament play but lost in the semifinals.
The Mavericks went an impressive 35-7 in individual singles matches against Sun Belt competition, sweeping half of the matches they played. Up until the last match of the season, UTA had not allowed the opposing team more than two points in a match, and that happened just once.
At the season’s conclusion, Carla Pons was named Player to Watch for her breakout performance, which included a career-high 21 singles wins and a perfect 5-0 record in conference play, earning her a spot on the All-Sun Belt Singles Second Team. Momoka Horiguchi garnered an All-Sun Belt Singles First Team selection.
“It’s a big accomplishment to go undefeated in the regular season,” says head coach Diego Benitez. “We’re very proud of the way they handled those big conference matches, and we are excited to bring the trophy home to UTA.”
