RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley men's and women's tennis teams will be doing their part to #RallyTheValley as they host a pair of free youth tennis clinics in Harlingen and Edinburg this fall. 
 
The first clinic will be Saturday, Oct. 22 at the HEB Tennis Center at Pendleton Park in Harlingen. The second is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 5 at the Orville Cox Tennis Center on the Edinburg campus. Both clinics will run from 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. Participants and community members are invited to watch both teams practice from 9-10:30 a.m. before the clinics begin.  
 
Boys and girls of all experience levels from 5 to 18 years old are welcome. Participation will be capped at 80 attendees on a first come, first serve basis. Register to secure a spot at GoUTRGV.com/TennisClinic. Check-in will begin at 9 a.m. on both dates. It is highly recommended that participants bring a racket but there will be a limited number of rackets available to those needing one.
 
"We believe it is important to share our passion for tennis with all the youngsters in the Rio Grande Valley," women's tennis head coach West Nott said. "We want to provide an opportunity to learn a new sport and for the kids to connect face-to-face with collegiate athletes. Our team loves seeing all the smiles on the courts and helping kids learn a new skill." 
 
Added men's head tennis coach Nathan Robinson: "We have an amazing group of student-athletes from all over the world who love being a part of UTRGV. This is a great opportunity for them to meet people from the Valley and for everyone to meet these great Vaqueros and learn more about them. All this, while playing and learning tennis." 


 
The women's team features three local players on the roster in senior Harlingen South alum Valeria Montero and freshmen Sofia De Leon from Brownsville Hanna and Keighara Leija from Raymondville. Freshman McAllen Memorial alum Agustin Salazar is a Valley native and legacy tennis player on the men's squad. Those student-athletes want to serve as inspiration to the young, up-and-coming local players who want to continue their careers after high school. 
 
The Vaqueros want to connect with tennis players of all experiences, from complete beginners to established high school competitors. Participants will be split into groups based on age and experience levels, and each group will have a unique focus throughout the clinic. UTRGV's student-athletes and coaches will teach technique, proper grips, shapes of swings and facilitate point-play situations for singles and doubles. The Vaqueros clinics will be informative, fun and beneficial to tennis players of all ages and experience levels.  
 
UTRGV tennis hopes participants walk away from the clinic wanting to keep playing tennis. The Vaqueros want to connect with the community and grow the game they love, aiming to make youngsters feel that love, too. 
 
"We are holding team practices prior to the clinic and this is a great time to see Division I tennis players in action, close-up. We would love for families to arrive early, hang out, take pictures, get autographs and shake hands with the players on our teams," Nott said. 
 
"It will be a very fun day of learning the basics all the way up to higher level tennis, depending on the levels of each kid," Robinson added. "We want to make sure that people from all over the Valley know who we are, that we are excited to represent them, and we enjoy and appreciate their amazing support."



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