LAS CRUCES, NM – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros men's tennis team is finding its stride at the exact right time.  
 
The Vaqueros (3-10) are riding a two-match winning streak into their first Western Athletic Conference cluster, being hosted at the New Mexico State Tennis Center in Las Cruces. They'll open conference play Friday at 9 a.m. against the NMSU Aggies (5-12), then they'll face the Chicago State Cougars (8-9) on Saturday at 9 a.m. 
 
UTRGV has yet to defeat NMSU in 10 tries. The Vaqueros hold a 4-2 series lead over the Cougars, but Chicago State won the last two matches between the programs. 
 
"We're going to play New Mexico State on their home court and that's going to be a tough one. Talented team, gritty team. They know how to fight and they know how win, so we have to be ready to go," UTRGV head coach Nathan Robinson said. "And Chicago State, I know the guys have a bad taste in their mouths after last year, so they're wanting to get another chance to go out there and prove that the steps we've taken are not just for two matches, it's what's going to continue for the rest of the season." 
 
No. 1 junior Misha Kvantaliani and No. 2 senior Carlo Izurieta have been steadily leading the UTRGV lineup with six and five singles wins, respectively. The back end of the lineup has been competing well, but Robinson felt they needed to take one more step and start closing out matches stronger to find some wins. 
 
The Vaqueros have taken that step. Freshman Sam Whitehead and junior Chris Lawrance have each won their last two singles matches in the No. 5 and No. 6 flights. Five of the seven singles wins UTRGV has earned in its last two matches have come from the back half of the lineup, with senior Alberto Mello adding one at No. 4. 
 
"It's huge. We've won two in a row now and we're getting wins at the bottom of our lineup two times in a row," Robinson said. "Sam has been Mr. Clutch here in the last couple matches. Can't say enough about what he's been able to do. We're gaining confidence. We're seeing those shifts happen. The work we see in practices, we've been waiting to see it on match day, and we saw it against Nicholls and against NJIT." 
 
Mello is proud of the strides he and his teammates have taken as the season goes on. UTRGV is feeling confident heading into WAC play and he believes the Vaqueros can keep things rolling. 
 
"We just need to keep the momentum going and play hard for conference," Mello said. "The past two matches were very special. I think the team grew a lot. Myself and other guys, we weren't having wins at the bottom of the lineup and we're starting to see that now. That's very important. The goal for this weekend is to go 2-0 to start conference. Keep rolling and show some positive energy out there." 
 
UTRGV got another boost of positivity on Wednesday when Kvantaliani and junior George Hutchings swept the WAC men's tennis athlete of the week awards. Kvantaliani was named Singles Player of the Week, and the junior duo was tabbed Doubles Team of the Week. 
 
Though the Vaqueros are excited about all the good they've seen in the past week, they're not satisfied and will continue to work harder as conference play begins. 
 
"It's a testament to the work they're putting in," Robinson said. "Misha is easily our hardest worker day in and day out. George is buying into things left and right about what we're trying to do on and off the court. To see those two guys get recognition for that is awesome. It's a great beacon for other guys to follow." 

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