LAS CRUCES, N.M. – The Tarleton TexAnn tennis team finished their weekend in New Mexico at the Lady Aggie Invitational with a pair of champions and a runner-up duo.

Tarleton had two champions in Melanie Barnes, who won the White Singles Back Draw, and Silvia Nieva, who won the Black Singles Back Draw. Alicia Perez and Mariana Freitas finished runner-up in the Crimson Doubles Main Draw.

Barnes defeated Nikolina Vukadin of Western New Mexico (6-1, 6-1) in the first round, before cruising past Laura Richardson of the University of New Mexico (6-2, 6-1) into the finals. In the White Singles Back Draw championship, Barnes had some trouble with Malia Wahinepio, but managed to defeat the Northern Arizona Lumberjack (6-3, 4-6, 6-4) in three sets.

Nieva had her toughest match in the first round, where she overcame Alice Walker of Northern Arizona University (7-6, 5-7, 7-5) in three sets. Nieva followed with a quick victory over Gina Stephenson of Lee College (6-3, 6-0), before taking the championship from Adri Gallaga of Lee College (8-4). Gallaga had defeated Tareleton's Kayla Deatherage (6-0, 6-0) earlier in the day, en route to the final.

Also participating in the White Singles Back Draw was the TexAnns' Virgine Rodriguez, who lost to Laura Servise of Lee College (6-4, 6-7, 7-5) in a close three-set match.

In the Crimson Singles Main Draw, Alicia Perez dropped her second round match to Northern Arizona's Edit Suhajda (6-1, 6-4), while Mariana Freitas lost her second round match in the Crimson Singles Back Draw (6-2, 6-1) to New Mexico's Ashley Bonner.

In doubles action, Alicia Perez and Mariana Freitas teamed up to advance all the way to the finals, before finally getting upset by Elisha Gabb and Kristina Kinarkina of Lee College (9-8) in a heartbreaking finish. On the way to the finals, Perez and Freitas had defeated Anya Villanueva and Amy Shippered of New Mexico (9-8).

Also challenging in doubles competition were Melanie Barnes and Virgine Rodriguez, who dropped their sound round match with Ashley Bonner and Laura Richardson of the University of New Mexico (8-5) in the White Doubles Back Draw.

Additionally, in singles consolation matches, Alicia Perez defeated Daria Adbrahkmanova from UTEP (6-1, 4-6, 6-3), before losing to Orsi Golovics of Northern Arizona University (6-2, 7-5). UTEP's Marie Audrey Leblond upended Tarleton's Kayla Deatherage (6-0, 6-1) in the Black Singles Consolation matches, before Deatherage lost to Lee College's Stephanie Williamson (8-2).

Melanie Barnes and Virgine Rodriguez won their doubles consolation match with Leah Smith and Stephanie Williamson from Lee College (9-7), rounding out Tarleton's day at the Lady Aggie Invitational.

The TexAnn tennis team returns to action next weekend, as Tarleton heads to Abilene for the ITA Regional Tournament.