SAN ANTONIO – After going over a month without competing, the NM State women's tennis program returned to the courts on Friday afternoon as they began the UIW Cardinal Classic and did not seem to skip a beat. Five Aggie athletes earned wins on the day as NM State finished 5-3 in singles play and 0-1 in doubles action.
 
Despite a rain delay that pushed the start of play to 1 p.m. MT, all eight Aggies began singles action while Dora Kurdi and Georgia Townsend also competed in doubles play.
 
Singles

• The play of the Aggies in singles action was highlighted by a pair of wins in the 'F' Draw as both freshman Dora Kurdi and junior Georgia Townsend earned convincing wins over their opponents.
• Kurdi got her first taste of play in the WAC as she started her weekend with a 6-3, 6-1 victory over UT Rio Grande Valley's Valeria Montero.
• Townsend tallied her third singles win of the young season – defeating Audrey Pacheco of Tarleton (6-0, 6-2) in the 'F' Draw.
• Over in the 'C' Draw, Natsuki Nishimura landed a win for the Aggies as she outlasted Yaiza Vazquez of UTRGV – winning by a score of 6-7 (3), 6-2 (10-8).
• Meanwhile, Miranda Bishard bested Angelo State's Alexandra Vishnevskaya by way of a 6-1, 6-4 victory to collect her first win of the weekend.
• Melissa Cartis helped to improve the reputation of the Aggies as she earned a win while serving as the lone individual to represent the Aggies in the 'E' Draw. She took down Angelo State's Ramitha Irrinki in a tightly contested match, 6-4, 3-6 (10-5).
• With the results on Friday, three Aggies are now tied for a team-best three wins on the season as Nishimura and Cartis join Townsend atop the Aggie rankings in terms of wins.

 
Doubles

• The tandem of Kurdi and Townsend was the lone grouping of players donning Crimson and White to take the courts as a team on Friday. After a tough fought match, Kurdi and Townsend were unable to come out on top as they fell to Sofia De Leon and Valeria Montero of UTRGV. This marked the first time that Kurdi and Townsend shared the court in a competition setting.

 
Up Next

• Saturday's schedule of events will kick off with singles action getting underway at 8 a.m. MT while doubles play is set to begin at 1:30 p.m.

 
SINGLES RESULTS
A Draw
Sofia Franco Salcedo (UIW) def. Lisa Zhu, 6-4, 6-4
Martha Makantasi (TSU) def. Anna Pinaeiva, 7-5, 7-6 (3)
 
C Draw
Natsuki Nishimura def. Yaiza Vazquez (UTRGV, 6-7 (3), 6-2 (10-8)
 
D Draw
Kristyna Mamicova (UTRGV) def. Bella Nguyen, 6-3, 4-6 (10-0)
Miranda Bishard def. Alexandra Vishnevskaya (ASU), 6-1, 6-4
 
E Draw
Melissa Cartis def. Ramitha Irrinki (ASU), 6-4, 3-6 (10-5)
 
F Draw
Dora Kurdi def. Valeria Montero (UTRGV), 6-3, 6-1
Georgia Townsend def. Audrey Pacheco (TSU), 6-0, 6-2
 
DOUBLES RESULT
C Draw
De Leon/Montero (UTRGV) def. Kurdi/Townsend, 6-3
 
 
SATURDAY SCHEDULE
9-10:30 a.m                Singles A/B
10:30-12 p.m.             Singles C/D
12-1:30 p.m.               Singles E/F
 
2:30-3:30 p.m.            Doubles A/B(2)/C(2)
3:30-4:30 p.m.             Doubles A/B
4:30-5:30 p.m.            Doubles C