RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros men's tennis team will honor two seniors when they face the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) Highlanders at 11 a.m. on Tuesday at the Orville Cox Tennis Center. 
 
Carlo Izurieta and Alberto Mello will be celebrated before they play their final home match as Vaqueros. 
 
"Playing for UTRGV has been one of the craziest, funniest and best experiences of my life," Izurieta said. "This year has been great. Team has been improving, I have been improving personally and as a team captain. It's been a great journey." 
 
Added Mello: "It means a lot to me, being a Division I athlete. That was always my dream when I was a kid, and being able to pursue this dream at UTRGV was a great opportunity and I'm very grateful for my time here." 
 
This will be the first matchup between the Vaqueros (2-10) and Highlanders (6-4). NJIT is coming in riding a three-match win streak. UTRGV went 1-1 in Louisiana over the weekend, falling 1-6 to Louisiana-Lafayette and defeating Nicholls 5-2. 
 
Izurieta and Mello both picked up singles wins at No. 2 and No. 4, respectively, in the victory over Nicholls, and combined to earn a No. 2 doubles win.  
 
Both seniors have been consistently competitive and showing improvement throughout the season. Izurieta is 5-7 playing primarily in the No. 2 flight, and the two have picked up four doubles victories. 
 
Both cited a home victory over Lamar from the 2020 season as one of their favorite memories during their UTRGV careers. The Vaqueros will aim to send the seniors out with one last special home victory to remember. 
 
"I think the best things I will take from my time here is the lessons learned. All the experiences, the good moments, the bad moments for sure because those are the ones you grow from, and the friends of course," Izurieta said. 
 
"What I'll take with me are the friendships that I've made," Mello said. "All the people that have guided me through the years – my professors, my advisor, the administration, my coaches – I'm going to have a special place in my heart for all of them." 

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