As Texas women’s tennis gears up for the conference and championship season in the spring, fall tournaments represent a crucial step in reaching their goals. Matches in the fall allow for player development, increased team chemistry and a chance for the coaching staff to evaluate their roster to make the most competitive decisions when the spring season starts. 

The college tennis calendar is divided into two distinct parts, the fall and spring. In the fall, players compete individually to stay sharp for the spring season and improve their ratings. The rating season allows players to quantify how close they are to fulfilling professional aspirations. In the spring, players compete in a team setting for their school.

Texas players have competed in two fall tournaments so far, both hosted by the International Tennis Association. Their first tournament, the ITA All-Americans, is one of the biggest national fall tournaments and five Longhorns were selected to play. Two players received direct bids into the qualifying round and the three others were selected to participate in the pre-qualifying draw, an opportunity for lower-ranked players to earn a spot in the main draw.

Sophomore Shachf Lieberman, junior Vivian Ovrootsky, and the pair of freshmen Ariana Anazagasty-Pursoo and Carmen Herea started their ITA All-American journey in the pre-qualifying round, all competing in both doubles and singles. Both freshmen won their first two singles matches and advanced to the main draw. Then, as a freshman duo in doubles, they split their two matches 1-1 but were selected as an alternate in the main draw. Lieberman and Ovrootsky, as a doubles tandem, did not qualify for the next round.

Ovrootsky (in singles) and star freshman Ashton Bowers joined Anazagasty-Pursoo and Herea in the qualifying round. While Anazagasty-Pursoo fell in the first round, the other three players performed well. Ovrootsky, the former number-one ranked recruit in the 2022 class who missed last season due to injury, won her first match before falling to Anne-Christine Lutkemeyer of UCLA. After winning her first two matches, Bowers nearly took down 5th-seeded Oklahoma State senior Ange Oby Kajuru. 

But, freshman Herea went the furthest in the tournament, winning six straight matches to reach the round of 32. 

Herea’s success speaks to the strength of the freshman class. It can be difficult for some athletes to transition from high school to college tennis due to the physicality and uptick in talent level, but Herea, Anazagasty-Pursoo and Bowers’s success in a national tournament marks huge stepping stones for the young players. 

Bowers and Anazagasty-Pursoo have continued their success in fall tournaments by reaching the ITA Texas Regionals Final. Although the tournament includes fewer nationally ranked players because only players who go to school in Texas can compete, the success of the freshman is once again encouraging.

Anazagasty-Pursoo captured her first collegiate title in the showdown between the two Longhorns. Texas represented the top three spots in the tournament. This is the 10th straight year a Longhorn has won the Texas Regional title. But, even more impressively, the all-Texas final speaks to the Longhorn’s dominance in the state.

Looking at the results of the ITA All-American and regional championships, there is a lot to be excited about in the Texas program. Upperclassmen, such as Bowers and Ovrootsky, are improving and look ready to compete at a national level. But, the youth movement is also here. Head coach Howard Joffe is allowing his young players to develop in the most difficult circumstances. It may be trial by fire, but the youngsters are running right through it.