LUBBOCK – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros men's tennis team will be facing off against another Power Five opponent on Sunday as they head to Texas Tech (TTU) for a 10 a.m. match. 
 
The Vaqueros (3-5) are 0-7 against the Red Raiders (3-4), but they've gained good experience facing a plethora of major programs in recent seasons and feel confident they'll give Texas Tech a fight. The match will be played at the McLeod Tennis Center. 
 
"They're a very tough team, but we've played a few big schools now so we know what to expect with the level they'll bring," sophomore Sam Whitehead said. "We're all really excited and we love having the opportunity to play those big schools. There's just no pressure on us. We get to go out there and play our game and test ourselves against the best in college." 
 
Second-year head coach Nathan Robinson said the team has shown good growth over the last couple of weekends, but the Vaqueros know they've left some points on the table in close matches. They've been working on doubles and trusting game styles a lot this week, and with student-athletes getting healthier, Robinson and Co. are confident UTRGV will continue to improve. 
 
"We've been working a lot on our consistency and our 80 percent ball, making sure we're hitting to good spots and playing with margin. We've also been working on doubles a lot. We felt that has let us down in a few of our close matches, so we've been working a lot on that with the pairings we'll have this weekend. We're ready to get going," Whitehead said. 
 
UTRGV junior Emilien Burnel and senior Chris Lawrance earned Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Singles Player of the Week awards in back-to-back weeks and lead the team with four singles wins each. Robinson said those awards are a reflection of the consistent hard work Burnel, Lawrance and the whole team have been putting in. The Vaqueros are excited to put their progress to the test against Texas Tech and try to come home with a massive win. 
 
"It's good for Emi and Chris to get those awards for the hard work they've put in. Both of those guys put in a ton of work and those are earned awards," Robinson said. "We feel pretty good about our singles lineup right now. In our lineup, 1-6 we know what we can count on from each guy, which is good for us. Every day they show up hungrier and hungrier to take that next step." 

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