North Texas Daily

Tennis has been on a hot streak coming out of winter break, going 7-1 in its games before Conference USA play. 

The team has an 8-3 overall record and has picked up where it left off in November. North Texas is undefeated at home with the only losses coming from away and neutral site matchups. Sophomore Olivia Malm, who is riding a six-game winning streak, said team chemistry is high.

“The feeling has been amazing,” Malm said. “Everyone is getting along — they are doing everything they can.”

Malm is not alone in her surge to open the season. She is one of three members of the team to own a winning streak of at least six games. One player, the undefeated freshman Matilde Morais, has won seven games straight.

Every player on the Mean Green is a different nationality. Coming from various backgrounds, the team shares a bond on and off the field.

“We are all from different countries and it is very nice to see all the different cultures that are here,” freshman Gloria Alogo Piqueras said. “At the beginning, it was a bit hard for everyone to adapt, but now we are very connected and we bonded a lot.”

North Texas did not have much time together after winter break before its first match, so players practiced at home to prepare for the spring season.

“I went back home and I trained with my brother and with my dad,” Alogo Piqueras said. “We knew that the season was coming so we did a lot of point play.”

The Mean Green opened the season with a pair of 6-1 victories. Head coach Sujay Lama said he credits his team with being attentive and hard-working.

“We have a very talented group,” Lama said. “They have been diligent with the process, the day-to-day things, the details.”

Before last Sunday’s pair of wins, the team had lost two in Lynchburg, Virginia and had to bounce back at home. In addition, Alogo Piqueras withdrew from her match against the University of South Florida’s Laura Pellicer during a doubleheader — she did not come back to play against Dallas Baptist University later that day.

“It’s a marathon, not a sprint, so there will be some adversities along the way,” Lama said. “It’s how you deal with adversities, how you deal with success. Stay healthy, stay happy, stay humble — I always say those are the three H’s that are the keys for success.”

During the strong open to the season, North Texas has picked up at least one win against every opponent except for No. 1 ranked Texas. It has gone undefeated against two opponents in both singles and doubles, DePaul University and University of Central Oklahoma, and swept at least one category against Miami (Ohio) University, Lamar University, Midwestern State University and Arkansas State University.

The two home wins last Sunday helped the Mean Green regain the momentum after a rough patch in Virginia, which they will hope to capitalize on against Florida International University in the conference play opener. The team has not won against Florida International University since defeating them in the C-USA tournament in 2019.

“I hope [the momentum] goes up from here.” Alogo Piqueras said,  “We are putting in a lot of effort.”

The team’s 8-3 record puts them third in the conference in overall winning percentage. The University of Texas-San Antonio, which already has a conference win, and Louisiana Tech University are above them in overall record. Florida Atlantic University, the team’s opening conference matchup, is 6-2 overall.

After their matchup with Florida International, the team will play one more non-conference game before a four game stretch of conference games, starting with Texas-San Antonio on March 11 in San Antonio.

“We’re getting better every single day,” Lama said. “[We are] peaking toward the end.”

Featured Image Freshman Gloria Alogo Piqueras hits a tennis ball during a match against Lamar University on Jan. 28, 2023. Marco Barrera