AUSTIN – For the fifth time this season, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros men's tennis team will be facing an opponent ranked in the top 75 by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA). 
 
UTRGV (4-13, 1-3 Western Athletic Conference) will take on the No. 11 Texas Longhorns (11-7) at 4:30 p.m. Sunday at the Texas Tennis Center. It will be the second meeting between the two programs. Texas won the first 5-2 in March 2015. 
 
The Vaqueros have battled five other programs that were ranked on match day or later rose to be among the best in NCAA Division I, and they'll use this latest marquee matchup to gauge progress and execute game styles to prepare for conference opponents. 
 
"It's kind of what we've built this season around, playing against the best in the state of Texas and in the nation," UTRGV head coach Nathan Robinson said. "We want to compare ourselves against those guys and I think it's a really good time for us to have this match, so we get a chance to reevaluate ourselves against the top players before we move on to our last weekend in conference. Playing a team like Texas is a lot of fun because it helps us reset our minds and play a little more relaxed, a little looser." 
 
This will be the first time any member of the roster faces the Longhorns, and senior Alberto Mello called it an exciting opportunity for growth. He feels the Vaqueros have built some momentum with improved play post-spring break and wants them to focus on being confident and playing tough in doubles. 
 
"We're very excited. It's a huge opportunity. It's going to be a great experience for us as a team to grow and get ready for the conference tournament," Mello said. "We can play loose. They have all the pressure, so we can just enjoy ourselves and just play tennis." 
 
UTRGV will be facing a lineup featuring six players ranked in the top 125 as singles by the ITA. Texas also has three doubles teams ranked in the top 80. 
 
The Vaqueros will use this match to see how they compare to some of the top players and to build on their game styles to be successful in their final WAC cluster of the season next weekend and into the conference tournament. 
 
"We had the guys re-state this week what they do that's special and we talked about why that is and how we implement that into our game styles. That's what our week has been, reevaluating what we do well and making sure that we're doing that correctly in our matches," Robinson said. "That's what we want to see against Texas, as well as a lot of fight, a lot of heart and a lot of energy." 

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