RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The familiar sounds of bouncing tennis balls, squeaking shoes and grunts of effort rang through the Orville Cox Tennis Center on Monday as The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley's (UTRGV) men's tennis team went through its first official practice to start the 2023 spring season. 
 
Another challenging season lies ahead for the Vaqueros, and they wouldn't have it any other way. UTRGV will spend four days training on its home courts before hitting the road to open the spring campaign Saturday at Oklahoma State. The next two months will be full steam ahead, with no weekends off until after spring break as they furiously prepare to make a run for the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) championship and a bid to the NCAA Tournament. 
 
"I'm super excited to see these guys compete against a very fun, competitive schedule," men's tennis head coach Nathan Robinson said. "The spring season is a whirlwind. It's nonstop. Spring season is a different mindset because you're focused on the team win as opposed to the individual win. It's very physical and very quick and it goes by in a flash. Lots of chances for us to prove ourselves, and for us to grow and learn and have some fun."  
 
On Day 1 of the fall season in Aug. 2022, with four newcomers on the roster, the Vaqueros didn't quite know what to expect. As they commence the spring season, however, Robinson and Co. know there's endless potential on the roster, and they're determined to put in the work to meet their goals. 
 
"The spring season is so team focused, so we needed to come together as a team and ask, 'Where are we headed?'" Robinson said. "Before our first practice we had a team meeting and wrote down individual goals for every guy. We wrote down team goals that all the guys had input into. We talked about those goals, about this is how we get there, this is how we reach them and this is how we hold each guy accountable to make sure we're staying on this team goal. We wrote them on a board that's up in the office so everyone can see and we'll check them off as we get there." 
 
Robinson praised returning seniors Te Kani Williams and Chris Lawrance and sophomore Sam Whitehead for the incredible leadership they've displayed to help a very fresh-faced roster become a tight-knit unit very quickly. Junior Emilien Burnel, sophomores Borna Devald and Karlo Krolo, and freshman McAllen Memorial alum Agustin Salazar adapted quickly to UTRGV's culture and will have an immediate impact. 
 
The first few weeks of practice will be physical as the Vaqueros get back into a rhythm and properly conditioned to endure competitive matches. Once April rolls around, UTRGV will turn its attention to WAC matches and reaching the postseason tournament. The talented roster features good size and strength, tons of athleticism and quickness, and a hunger to improve every day. The Vaqueros are eager to get the season going and show what they can do, and to make UTRGV proud along the way. 
 
"Our team is ready to go," Robinson said. "We have eight home matches, some big opponents and two conference home matches for the first time in a while. We're looking forward to seeing some fans in the stands to watch us play Vaqueros tennis. We know what we have and what we can do. We know who these guys are, how talented we are, and now it's about continuing to grow."

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