Castano’s three set win lifts Tarleton State Tennis to victory over two time defending WAC champions GCU

Castano, who won 12 of the final 14 games on Court 5 on Friday, picked up her 13th singles win of the season with her victory over GCU's Angelina Mihajlovic 3-6, 6-2, 6-0.

Freshman and juniors and also picked up singles wins to help the Texans get the four points needed for the team victory. Friday's win marks Tarleton State's first victory over GCU since April 6, 2023.

"What a great match," head coach said. "I am so proud of our fight. We battled all the way through and it took all of us to get this win today. This is a special team. They care about each other and it shows when things are hard. We have each other's backs and that is something I'm really proud of them for. We still have more in the tank and we are ready for battle.

"I also want to thank SMU for allowing us to use their facility today. While we would've loved to play on our home court in Stephenville, we are grateful that SMU let us use their indoor facility."

GCU took command early in the match, not losing a game on Court 2 in doubles. The Texans were still alive to clinch the doubles point after Castano and doubles partner picked up their eighth win together on Court 3. The Lopes, however, grabbed the upper hand and took a 1-0 lead in the match following their 6-3 doubles win on Court 1.

The Texans quickly took control in singles, with Kuscu getting the Texans' first point of the day with her win on Court 2. The freshman from Turkey lost just three games to defeat Gala Arangio 6-1, 6-2 in dominating fashion. Tarleton State grabbed the advantage moments later thanks to Mukhutdinova's 6-2, 6-4 victory on Court 6 over GCU's Peyton Duckett.

GCU went on to pick up two straight points with straight sets wins on singles Court 1 and Court 3, needing just one more singles victory to clinch the match. After edging out GCU's Dania Deaifi in a close set one, Morales came out on top in straight sets 7-5, 6-3 on Court 4 to force a winner take all singles match on Court 5.

Mihajlovic took control early on Court 5, winning six of the first nine games to clinch set one. Castano, however, rebounded quickly and dominated action in set two 6-2 to force a third set.

After trailing in the second game of the third set, Castano climbed back to force a deuce and came up with the last point to take a 2-0 lead in the final set. The freshman from the Dominican Republic cruised through the next two games to carry all momentum in set three, capturing the come-from-behind victory with wins in the last two games. Castano, who leads the Texans in singles wins in 2025, capped off the match-sealing victory with her fifth bagel (6-0 set) of 2025.

Tarleton State will be back in Dallas on Sunday to take on No. 63 nationally-ranked SMU on Sunday at 5 p.m. at the Styslinger/Altec Tennis Complex.