HUNTSVILLE – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros women's tennis team opens Western Athletic Conference play with a cluster hosted at Sam Houston's McAdams Tennis Center this weekend.
 
UTRGV (8-4) will face off with the Sam Houston State Bearkats (5-7) on Saturday at 11 a.m. in the Bearkats' first WAC contest after moving over from the Southland Conference. The Vaqueros take on the Abilene Christian Wildcats (6-7) on Sunday at 8 a.m. 
 
"Sam Houston is a really competitive team. They like to crash the net in doubles, they're really loud, very athletic and a deep lineup," UTRGV head coach West Nott said. "We have our work cut out for us, but beating NJIT was massive because on paper they're a really tough team so I think that gave us some confidence that we can get the job done. 
 
"Abilene Christian, that's another tough lineup with some seniors on the team but it'll be our first time playing them in two years and I think they'll have their hands full as well," Nott added. 
 
The Vaqueros are 8-18 all-time against SHSU and will be looking for their first victory over the Bearkats since 2015. Against ACU, UTRGV is 2-9 all-time and captured its last win over the Wildcats in 2019. 
 
UTRGV heads into conference play with a lot of confidence following two big home wins over Omaha and NJIT. The Vaqueros have been particularly impressive in doubles play, claiming the doubles point in eight of 12 matches, and they hope to have that success continue in conference play to get matches rolling in the right direction from the jump. 
 
"Huge confidence booster to come through against NJIT with all that pressure and adversity," Nott said. "We were down 3-0 in the deciding match and for senior Katarina Sasaroga to find a way and lock it down was massive going into WAC season so I'm really proud of her. 
 
"We've been really competitive down at the bottom of the lineup," he added. "Also, in doubles play we've been really consistent. We have a really high win rate for doubles and I'm really proud of the group for applying all the things we work on in practice." 
 
Sophomore Stefanie Wilske earned a solid win at No. 5 singles to aid the victory over NJIT. She said that match put the Vaqueros in a great place mentally as they prepare to begin WAC play, and they're ready to keep building off that momentum. 
 
"As a team, it was a really great accomplishment. The vibe, the attitude, we really put everything into the match and we got through it. It gives us a lot of confidence," Wilske said. "All these matches have been helping to be ready for this moment. Conference is the most important thing. We are going to keep working hard, bring a great attitude and get that win." 

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