RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros men's tennis team will play four of its next five matches at the Orville Cox Tennis Center, starting with a Friday match against Incarnate Word at 11 a.m. 
 
The Vaqueros (3-6) have been competitive but have lost their last four matches. They're looking forward to having an opportunity to right the ship on their home courts and get some redemption after last year's match against UIW. 
 
"Really expecting a tough match tomorrow. We know Incarnate Word is a really feisty team and they got us last time, but this time around I think we've got a much better lineup going into the match so we're really looking forward to it," senior Chris Lawrance said. "We've been doing really well. We've had a few close losses, but I feel like tomorrow we have a really good chance of taking it to them and getting a dub." 
 
Incarnate Word (3-2) took the last battle between the two programs 5-2 in Edinburg and holds a 7-4 series lead over the Vaqueros. But UTRGV is coming into this match confident in its singles lineup and hopeful to have a good home crowd supporting its effort. 
 
"It's going to be a gritty match. UIW is a well-coached team, they fight hard, they're scrappy. We know what they're about and how hard they're going to fight and we're looking forward to trying to flip that score from last year," UTRGV head coach Nathan Robinson said. "The guys are ready. They've been looking forward to this match and to get back home after a little bit of time away. We're excited." 
 
The biggest point of emphasis for the Vaqueros as they prepare for this match has been doubles. They've had good performances from a variety of doubles teams, the most recent being in a match at Texas Tech Sunday as junior Emilien Burnel and sophomore Karlo Krolo took a 5-4 lead in their bout against the No. 26 ranked duo in NCAA Div. I before the doubles point was clinched and the match went unfinished. The goal now is to get consistently solid play on all three courts. 
 
"We're definitely talented in doubles. We've seen it and we've had some teams that have had ranked teams on the ropes. We're just not hitting on all cylinders on all three courts, so we're really focused on that," Robinson said. 
 
The energy generated when playing on their home courts is something the Vaqueros hope to use to their advantage in the match, so they're encouraging the campus community and beyond to swing by the Orville Cox Tennis Center and cheer on the squad. 
 
"We love our facility and how it's set up. It gets pretty loud when people come out and it's a lot of fun," Robinson said. "We love having home matches and playing in front of our supporters. The guys really get up for that and it gets their juices going and they love to show out as much as they can. Hope to see you all out there." 

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