The Longhorns are, once again, contenders at outdoor nationals.
The No. 9-ranked Texas Longhorns women's tennis team defeated No. 28 Texas Tech 4-2 on Sunday to advance to the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA outdoor tournament.
It is the sixth year in a row the Horns have reached the Round of 16, and seventh time in the last eight years with head coach Howard Joffe at the helm.
The Red Raiders got ahead early after securing the doubles point with wins on the top two lines, but Texas responded with big victories at the top of the lineup.
No. 3-ranked singles player, Carmen Herea, got a 6-1, 6-4 at No. 1 in the first singles match to finish. No. 57-ranked Eszter Meri and No. 104-ranked Elizabeth Ionescu picked up wins as well for the Longhorns at lines No. 3 and 4, respectively.
After Tech picked up a win at line No. 2, it was line No. 5 for Texas, freshman Kate Mansfield, who clinched the match at line No. 5 in a three-set thriller, 5-7, 6-3, 7-5.
The win improved Texas to 19-7 on the season. Up next, the Longhorns face No. 8 NC State in the Super Regionals. The match will take place on enemy ground in Raleigh, North Carolina on Friday, May 8.
The Wolfpack sit 24-7 on the year and swept No. 20 UCF last round, 4-0, in Raleigh.
Last season, the Longhorns reached the Super Regional round, but fell to No. 3 Michigan 4-3.
Still, the strong 2026 season keeps Texas among the best women's tennis programs in the country.
Joffe is in his 10th season in Austin and is among the most accomplished leaders on campus in the amount of time he's coached at Texas. The Longhorns have two national team championships (2021, 2022) and four Big 12 Conference titles (2018, 2021-23).
Although a tough test lies ahead for the Longhorns, they are riding momentum - and one of the more impressive streaks across the tournament's recent history - that make them a contender for another team title at nationals.
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