STILLWATER, Okla. – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) men's tennis team is challenging itself as a new spring season commences with three matches at Oklahoma State over the long weekend. 
 
The UTRGV Vaqueros will participate in a doubleheader with the Big XII's Oklahoma State Cowboys on Saturday, with the first match starting at 1 p.m. and the second slated for 5 p.m. On Monday, UTRGV will face the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles of The Summit League at 10 a.m. All matches will be played at OSU's Greenwood Tennis Center. 
 
"Super excited. The guys are really ready. We've had a good week of practice to get ready for a good first weekend," head coach Nathan Robinson said. "A doubleheader with Oklahoma State is a great chance for us to step on the court against a top-30 program and a Power Five school and compete against that level right out of the gate to see where we're at. Oral Roberts is a great chance to come back and play again against a good, aggressive mid-major school." 
 
UTRGV has yet to beat the Cowboys in four tries, but the Vaqueros believe they'll be competitive on Saturday. UTRGV and Oral Roberts haven't faced off in a dual match since 2018, but the Vaqueros are 4-2 all-time against the Golden Eagles and had success against them in the fall season – seniors Te Kani Williams and Chris Lawrance each earned singles victories over ORU and combined for a doubles win, junior Emilien Burnel got a singles and doubles win with sophomore Sam Whitehead, and freshman McAllen Memorial alum Agustin Salazar won a doubles match against an ORU pairing. 
 
As one of three returning Vaqueros and the captain of this year's squad, Williams will lean on his experience to help keep the team focused and fighting as four newcomers make their spring debuts. Robinson said there may be some nerves as the Vaqueros take the court for the first time this spring, but those nerves show how much the student-athletes care and overcoming the early jitters will be a good lesson. 
 
The matches against Oklahoma State will be streamed and fans can tune-in or keep track of scoring updates with the links above. 
 
"We feel really good. The guys came back fed and ready, so we're ready to get going," Williams said. "Oklahoma State's a strong program, it's no secret, so we've been preparing for them, making sure we give them a good run and challenge them where we can. Oral Roberts is a solid team as well, but I feel going off our good results in the fall and with the boys we have, I think we'll do well. It's always good to start off well because it sets the tone for the rest of the season. We hope to get a good foot in the door this weekend and win some matches." 

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