HELOTES – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros men's tennis team kicks off its spring season with a three-match weekend starting on Friday at 9 a.m. against Our Lady of the Lake at Northside Tennis Center.
UTRGV will also play Howard Payne University at 1 p.m. before returning to the Orville Cox Tennis Center for its home opener against Louisiana at 10 a.m.
Seating for fans at UTRGV home matches is expected to be limited to approximately 10% capacity. Limiting the capacity allows for proper social distancing among fans, staff, and student-athletes.
Face masks are required to be worn properly by all fans, media and staff present inside the Orville Cox Tennis Center. The CDC defines wearing a mask correctly as covering the nose and mouth and securing it around the chin, trying to fit in snugly against the side of the face. The CDC does not recommend using masks with an exhalation valve or vent. Neck gaiters, bandanas and similar items are not acceptable alternatives to face masks. Children ages 2 and under are not required to wear masks.
Restrooms at the Orville Cox Tennis Center will be closed to the public to limit access into the Tier 1 section.
It's Been Too Long
The Vaqueros last played a competitive match back on March 6, 2020 when it defeated Incarnate Word 5-2 at home. It was the Vaqueros' third straight win and the momentum felt like it was turning their way.
Fast forward to 2021 and the Vaqueros are set to open their spring schedule and
"It was last March when our season got cut short," UTRGV head coach
Dann Nelson said. "We are pretty excited to be traveling and being blessed to be able to travel and to compete. We can't wait to get started this weekend."
Getting Match Ready
It's been 328 days since UTRGV faced Incarnate Word. The Vaqueros have spent some time to shake off the rust of competition and hope to be match ready once the first serve goes up against Our Lady of the Lake.
"We are trying to get match ready," Nelson said. "A lot of these guys haven't played many matches in the last 11 months so we are doing as much as we can in practice to simulate certain match situations is what we have been doing to get ready for the season."
Veteran Leadership Among Roster
The Vaqueros return seven from last season in
Samuel de Felipe Garcia,
George Hutchings,
Carlo Izurieta,
Zane Kohrs,
Alberto Mello,
Mateo Schmit, and
Te Kani Williams. Five of the seven are upperclassmen with plenty of experience.
When you add in the experience that newcomers
Luka Jankovicand
Misha Kvantaliani bring after playing at Drake and Tyler Junior College, respectfully, there is plenty of experience on the UTRGV roster.
"We have some senior leadership, which is great," Nelson said. "We have a tight group of guys and we fight hard for each other. That is going to help us down the road. It will be a lot of fun to see this group on the court."
Giving Our All
The Vaqueros know that it's not easy to win in college tennis but that if you put in the hard work every day then those wins will eventually come.
At the end of the season, the Vaqueros want to look back and not think of how many wins they have but more that they left it all out on the court.
"We are looking to be competitive in every match we play, win or lose," Nelson said. "We want to give it everything we have and play like brothers. Those are some of the things that would make it a successful season."
Using the Non-conference Schedule
There will be plenty of tough competition throughout the non-conference portion of the schedule that will help get the Vaqueros ready for the what is always a tough run in WAC play.
The Vaqueros will face the likes of Louisiana, Lamar, Southern Miss, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Rice, and Texas A&M in the non-conference portion of its schedule. They will also be playing in the H-E-B Tournament of Champions for the sixth year in a row.
"Our non-conference schedule always helps us prepare for the WAC by playing good competition," Nelson said. "The WAC is really good in men's tennis. There are some really good teams in the WAC, so we have to be ready to play. Playing good competition in the non-conference portion of our schedule prepares us that much more for the conference season."
Hosting a WAC Cluster
The Vaqueros will get a chance to host a WAC Cluster at the Orville Cox Tennis Center for the first time since the spring of 2015.
This season, UTRGV will host the other WAC teams from for the final regular season cluster from April 9-11. Coach Nelson hasn't been able to host one in his time at UTRGV and is excited to get the opportunity.
"We can't wait to host the WAC Cluster on campus," Nelson said. "We have been waiting a long time to do this. Not having to jump on a plane and go somewhere else and play at somebody else's place is going to be good. We can't wait to host the other WAC schools."
Playing Our Lady of the Lake
- Our Lady of the Lake is 0-2 on the season after dropping a doubleheader to Incarnate Word on Jan. 22.
- Our Lady of the Lake will play Howard Payne on Friday as well.
- UTRGV and Our Lady of the Lake have played just once before with UTRGV picking up the 5-0 victory in San Antonio.
Playing Howard Payne
- Howard Payne is 0-2 on the season after being swept by Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Jan. 28.
- Howard Payne will play Our Lady of the Lake on Friday afternoon.
- This is the first matchup between UTRGV and Howard Payne.
Playing Louisiana
- Louisiana is 0-4 on the season with losses to Texas, Middle Tennessee, LSU, and Mississippi State.
- Louisiana will play Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Friday before facing UTRGV on Sunday.
- UTRGV is 0-11 all-time against Louisiana in a series that dates back to 2001.
- UTRGV and Louisiana last played each other on March 16, 2018 with Louisiana picking up the 4-3 win in Lafayette.
Upcoming Schedule
- Feb. 5 @ Lamar – 1 p.m.
- Feb. 6 vs. Southern Miss – 10 a.m.
- Feb. 9 vs. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi – 2 p.m.
- Feb. 19-20 @ H-E-B Tournament of Champions – TBD
- Feb. 27 @ Rice – 10 a.m.
Support UTRGV Men's Tennis |
Become a Fan on Facebook |
Follow us on Twitter |
Follow us on Instagram |
Follow us on YouTube
