FORT WORTH – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros men's tennis team is set to open the regular season when it visits the No. 5 TCU Horned Frogs and the (RV) Texas Tech Red Raiders on Wednesday and Thursday.  
 
The Vaqueros will face No. 5 TCU at 6 p.m. at the Bayard H. Friedman Tennis Center and then will face the Red Raiders at 3 p.m. at the McLeod Tennis Center.
 
Last Time Out
UTRGV last competed at the ITA Regionals back to close out the fall tournament season. 
 
The Vaqueros closed out the ITA Regionals with a couple of singles victories as freshman Sam Whitehead defeated SMU's Eddie Ross 2-6, 6-4, 10-8. 
 
Junior Chris Lawrance picked up a 6-0, 6-1 win over Abilene Christian's Ryan Flanagan. 
 
The duo of Alberto Mello and Carlo Izurieta saw their run in the main doubles draw come to a close after falling to SMU's Julian Steinhausen and Huntley Allen. Mello and Izurieta opened with a win in the main draw over Rice's Jose Rodriguez and Daniel Sancho Arbizu. 
 
The loss was Izurieta's first doubles loss of the fall season. 
 
Putting in the Extra Work Over Break
With the season starting off before the semester begins, the Vaqueros knew that their work over the winter break was going to be vital. The Vaqueros will have just one team practice before opening the season and the Vaqueros were dedicated to come into the season as sharp as possible. 
 
For the Vaqueros, it wasn't just about putting in extra time on the court but also going out and competing somewhere. 
 
"You had JP [Juan Pablo] make the semis of a very very tough tournament," UTRGV Head Coach Nathan Robinson said. "He beat a couple of ACC and SEC guys along the way. They were pretty big wins too, not just eking through a win but some dominant wins in the process, which is good to see from his level. Misha goes and wins a singles and doubles tournament in Houston and makes the finals and semis of another two. We had Te Kani and Sam win a doubles tournament as well, so our guys have put the work in. Carlo, down in Ecuador won one as well. Our guys have been putting work in."
 
Playing No. 5 TCU

• This will be TCU's season opener. 
• TCU currently ranks fifth in the ITA Rankings.
• UTRGV is 4-9 all-time against TCU in a series that dates back to 1960.
• TCU won the last meeting 6-1 back on Mar. 30, 2013 in Fort Worth. 
• UTRGV last defeated TCU back in the 1985 season.
• TCU is led by Juan Carlos Aguilar who is coming off a singles title at the ITA Texas Regionals. 
• TCU also took home the doubles title as the team of Lui Maxted and Pedro Vives earned the doubles championship. 
• It was the first time since 2015 that TCU won both events at the ITA Texas Regional. 

 
Playing (RV) Texas Tech

• Texas Tech will be playing a double-header to open the season as they will also face Abilene Christian on Thursday. 
• Texas Tech is currently receiving votes in the ITA Rankings.
• UTRGV is 10-16 all-time against Texas Tech in a series that dates back to 1961.
• Texas Tech won the last matchup with a 7-0 win back on Jan. 20, 2020.
• UTRGV last won during the 1981 season.
• The Red Raiders are led by Isaac Arevalo, who won the ITA Big 12 Individual Championship in Waco. 
• Arevalo also teamed up with Reed Collier to make the finals in the doubles bracket to lead the Red Raiders in doubles. 

 
Upcoming Schedule

• Jan. 29 @ Rice –  10 a.m.
• Jan. 30 @ St. Mary's – 9:30 a.m.
• Jan. 30 @ UTSA – 2 p.m.
• Feb. 2 @ Corpus Christi – 12 p.m.
• Feb. 4 vs Idaho State – TBA

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