BEAUMONT – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) men's tennis team has a challenge on its hands this weekend, but it's one the Vaqueros are looking forward to taking on. 
 
UTRGV sits directly in the middle of the Western Athletic Conference standings at 1-1 in conference and 4-11 overall after the first WAC clusters of the season. Three teams are below the Vaqueros at 0-2 in WAC, and three are above with 2-0 records. 
 
The Vaqueros are facing off with two of the unbeaten teams this weekend at Lamar's Thompson Family Tennis Center. UTRGV will face the hosting Lamar Cardinals (10-6, 2-0) on Friday at 11 a.m., then it'll play the Abilene Christian Wildcats (6-10, 2-0) on Saturday at 1 p.m. 
 
"Both of those teams had good weekends. It's going to be tough, competitive," UTRGV head coach Nathan Robinson said. "We have to be ready and play well and have good energy throughout. The guys are excited about it. They know what's coming this weekend and they're ready to step on the court with those guys." 
 
UTRGV and Lamar have played each other tight over the years, with the Cardinals holding a slim 12-10 all-time series lead. The home team has won each of the last four matches between the programs. Against the Wildcats, UTRGV is 2-3 all-time. The Vaqueros will be looking for their first win against ACU since 2015. 
 
The Vaqueros picked up two hard wins and saw solid play throughout the lineup last week. Freshman Sam Whitehead clinched both team victories with singles wins in the fifth and sixth flights. He thinks this weekend's cluster will be a good test for the Vaqueros and their progress. 
 
"Confidence has been building a lot. I've been playing pretty well, finding a way to win matches which has been key," Whitehead said. "It will be good for us to match ourselves against the best and see how it goes. It's going to be very tough, but we've been building well so hopefully we'll be able to perform at our best and give them a good run for their money." 
 
Junior No. 1 Misha Kvantaliani, senior No. 2 Carlo Izurieta and senior No. 4 Alberto Mello came up big along with Whitehead to lead UTRGV to its first WAC win over Chicago State despite playing from behind after losing the doubles point.  
 
Robinson said UTRGV is starting to see its hard work – which has included six matches against ranked opponents – pay off, and the Vaqueros are gaining some momentum when it's needed most. 
 
"Misha, Sam, Carlo and Alberto are guys we really feel like we can count on to come through no matter what kind of pressure situation it is," Robinson said. "Sam's won two out of his last three, Alberto the same way. Carlo is just plugging away at No. 2. He's become quite an out there, really tough. We're catching some rhythm now at the bottom of the lineup and it's really helping us along." 

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