Senior Lizzy De La Fuente and junior Evan Barborek placed first in the Mixed Doubles bracket at the Lamar University Invitational on Friday, Jan. 29.

De La Fuente has been playing for roughly one and a half years and Barborek has been playing for two. They played four rounds total to win their first tournament of the season.

“I believe we both felt the excitement and extreme adrenaline rush after each win,” De La Fuente said. “We both kept each other pumped up throughout the games so every little point was exciting!”

De La Fuente and Barborek share the goal of winning every tournament and advancing to regionals. According to Barborek, they pumped each other up after each round to make every win more exciting. According to De La Fuente, winning this tournament drives her motivation to want to continue to win, and she simply wants to enjoy her last year of playing.

“It felt great to set the bar high for the rest of the season,” Barborek said.