Tennis has always been about family for University of Texas Rio Grande Valley junior Valeria Montero.
Montero is a third-generation tennis player whose father played in college. Growing up, spending time together as a family at tennis courts was a common occurrence. And as her competitive tennis journey has continued from juniors to the NCAA Division I level, Montero’s family has expanded to include teammates and friends within the sport.
The former Harlingen South standout is one of two local products on a UTRGV women’s tennis roster that features nine of 12 players who hail from countries other than the United States. Montero’s family, especially her mother, Roxana, has taken it upon itself to make the Vaqueros feel at home despite being far from biological family.
“They all moved very far to be on this team, and we all have each other as our family,” Montero said. “I’ve invited the girls over during Christmas break. I’ve had them over for dinner. When COVID hit and everyone was scrambling to get flights home so they weren’t stuck here, my teammate, Ana Platisa, stayed with us for five days, and that was super fun. She got to experience the Montero craziness.
“My mom is really invested in them. Even on social media, she’s acting like they’re her daughters,” she continued. “We grew up as a tennis family, so she sees them as our family, too.”
After moving from Puerto Rico, Montero’s game blossomed at the H-E-B Tennis Center at Pendleton Park with coach Don VamRamshorst. She was a tremendous player at South, earning the No. 1 singles spot as a freshman.
Former Hawks coach Noe Stillman called her the best freshman he had seen come through the program. She was a four-time district champion, the All-Valley girls tennis player of the year in 2019 and she never lost a match in the Valley.
Montero was inspired by her family members and some of the legends from South’s rich tennis history. Now she’s trying to be that mentor for younger athletes and create a tennis family to motivate them. This summer will be the third in a row in which she volunteers her time teaching children at the H-E-B Tennis Center.
The mission of growing the game is one Montero shares with Vaqueros coach West Nott. The UTRGV women’s tennis team held four free tennis clinics during its 2021-22 season, reaching hundreds of local children from 4 to 18 years old.
“It really excites me that our awesome team does these clinics, because it’s something I wish I had growing up here in the Valley because we didn’t really have that,” Montero said. “The fact that we give so much back makes me really happy, and I want to help in every possible way. What we’re doing will help grow tennis here. It can have a big impact to inspire the next generation and build a better community of tennis in the Valley.”
UTRGV opens the Western Athletic Conference tournament at 3 p.m. today in Beaumont against Seattle University. Montero has been out of the lineup due to injury most of the season, but she brings incredible energy to the court to help her team. The fourth-seeded Vaqueros (11-9, 3-2) have surprised people so far this season, and they hope to continue doing so en route to a WAC championship.
“It feels nice to be the underdog and prove everybody wrong,” Montero said. “Everybody thought, ‘Oh, they’re just UTRGV,’ but now it’s, like, ‘Yeah, we’re UTRGV, and you better watch out.’”
