AUSTIN, Texas – Tarleton State Tennis went up on No. 9 seed Texas by clinching the doubles point, but the Texans' historic 2026 season came to an end when the Longhorns won five singles matches to get the 5-1 win in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday at the Texas Tennis Center.
Doubles wins from seniors Ximena Morales and Emma Persson along with sophomores Maria Castano and Duru Kuscu put the Texans up 1-0 in the match entering singles play. Morales/Persson defeated Texas' Kate Mansfield/Carmen Herea 6-4 at No. 2 doubles while Castano/Kuscu picked up a 6-3 win over Salma Drugdova/Eszter Merion Court 3.
Tarleton State's doubles wins mark the first doubles wins in a Division I NCAA Tournament in program history. It is the first doubles wins in an NCAA Tournament for the program since 2017, when Erika Johnston and Ashleigh Elward won at No. 2 doubles in the Division II Tournament.
The Texans made their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament as a Division I institution. Tennis was the fourth athletic program at Tarleton State to compete in NCAA postseason in the Division I era (Football, Track & Field, Women's Golf).
Tarleton State, the Western Athletic Conference champions, finished the 2026 season with a 17-8 overall record. The Texans won over 70 percent of its matches in both singles and doubles play, combining for 88 singles wins and 48 doubles wins. It is the most singles and doubles wins in a season since the Texans transitioned into Division I.
"I'm really proud of this team. They had a fantastic year. For us to come out and win the doubles point against the No. 9 overall seed in the tournament is a big deal," head coach Elianne Douglas-Miron said. "It just shows that all our hard work paid off and that we're doing the right things. We're going to keep improving and keep getting better as a program. We really enjoyed our first time competing in the NCAA Tournament."
Texas looked to take advantage early after its No. 1 doubles team won 6-1, but Tarleton State showed that the doubles point was still up for grabs. After splitting the first four games at No. 2 doubles, Morales/Persson won the deciding point in the deuce to take a 3-2 lead. The Longhorns quickly tied it back up 4-4 before the senior duo clinched the deciding point in the ninth game to retake the lead.
Meanwhile on the court next door, Castano/Kuscu caught fire. With the match tied 3-3 on Court 3, the sophomore duo won three straight games to come out on top. Having a 40-30 lead in the seventh game, Castano/Kuscu got the deciding point needed for the lead and never relinquished the lead. The sophomores finished with a 13-2 doubles record in 2026.
Morales/Persson finished the job moments after taking the lead. The 2026 All-WAC Second Team duo won the 10th and final game to put the Texans up by a point in the NCAA Tournament. Morales and Persson finished the season with a 14-3 doubles record.
The Longhorns countered a response in singles, taking the first set 6-0 on four courts. Texas did not lose a set in singles and picked up victories on Courts 1-5 to advance in the NCAA Tournament and end Tarleton State's season. The singles match on Court 6 between senior Adeliiya Mukhutdinova and Texas' Salma Drugdova went unfinished.
Texas, who won back-to-back national championships in 2021-22, will face Texas Tech in the NCAA Second Round on Sunday.
Tarleton State's historic season was capped off with the Texans sweeping all major awards from the WAC, receiving seven spots on All-WAC teams in the process. Castano earned WAC Player of the Year honors while Aya Ishii was named WAC Freshman of the Year. Douglas-Miron was named WAC Coach of the Year for the second time in her career.
Under Douglas-Miron in six years at the Division I level, Tarleton State has won two WAC Coach of the Year and Player of the Year awards to go with the WAC Freshman of the Year award three times. The Texans have also claimed 25 All-Conference honors (13 Singles All-WAC First Team, two Doubles All-WAC First Team, seven Singles All-WAC Second Team, three Doubles All-WAC Second Team). The Texans have also earned 66 midseason monthly or weekly awards.
