BEAUMONT, Texas – The Lamar University women's tennis team competed in their first home match of the season and beat the University of Texas at Rio Grand Valley with a score of 5-2. This victory puts the Cardinals at 2-2 (.500) on the season.
 
The Cards came out strong winning the doubles point and going up 1-0. The team won two out of the three doubles matches on courts 1 and 2 which gave the team momentum heading into singles play.
 
Junior Natalia Garcia Molina wasn't playing around in her singles matchup. She had no problem beating her opponent Valeria Montero on court 4 with a 6-1 win in the first set. She continued the strong performance and ended the second set the same way, 6-1. Molina's quick work gave the Cardinals a 2-0 lead early, and her teammates were able to use some of that same energy.
 
Freshman Ana Jolic played in front of the Cardinal home crowd for the first time, and she showed the fans what she was made of. Jolic dominated her matchup against Kristyna Mamicova winning both sets 6-1, 6-1.
 
With a 3-0 lead, Senior Bianca Vitale secured the victory for Big Red. She beat Ana Platisa in two sets with scores of 6-1 and 6-2. Vitale's win gave the Cardinals a 4-0 lead, and LU weren't done yet.
 
Sophomore Laura Sola Grau came in with the final point for the Cardinals when she beat her opponent Alicia Thal in two sets. She battled hard in the first set and won 7-5, and Sola took advantage of the lead in the second set and put her opponent away 6-3.
 
The Cardinals fought hard on courts 1 and 3, taking each of those matches well into the third set. They were unable to get the win in either of those matchups, but the Cardinals walked away with a 5-2 win over the Vaqueros.
 
The Cardinals return Sunday against UL Monroe. The match will begin at 2 p.m. from the Thompson Family Tennis Center. Come out and support the Cardinals as they host the Warhawks before heading home to watch the big game.