RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros men's tennis team is aiming to end its five-match losing skid and capture a big rivalry win this weekend. 
 
On Friday, the Vaqueros (3-7) will take on the Prairie View A&M (PVAMU) Panthers at 12 p.m. at the Orville Cox Tennis Center. UTRGV hopes to change the trend of the South Texas Showdown presented by Rally Community Credit Union on Saturday when it takes on the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (TAMUCC) Islanders at 12 p.m. at the Thomas J. Henry Tennis Center. 
 
"The guys are very focused and ready to right a few wrongs that we've been dealing with over the last month and get things turned around," head coach Nathan Robinson said. "We know PVAMU is ready to go but we expect to go out and take care of business one-through-six singles and on all three doubles courts." 
 
The Vaqueros are 15-1 all-time against PVAMU (1-10) and cruised to a 6-1 victory in last season's meeting. They're confident they can get back in the win column when they battle the Panthers and showcase the talent on the roster on every court. 
 
"We expect to win and take care of our home court. PVAMU is an OK team, but we're better, so we should take care of business," freshman McAllen Memorial alum Agustin Salazar said. "Against TAMUCC, talent-wise I think we're better. It's all about mentality. We have to believe in ourselves. I think we're prepared, so hopefully we can start a winning streak against them. I'm expecting a tough match, but nothing is impossible." 
 
TAMUCC (6-3) holds a 2-29 all-time record over UTRGV and has won the last 19 meetings. UTRGV's last win in the rivalry came on March 10, 2010. The Vaqueros are well aware of the history and have been using it to motivate one another heading into the weekend. 
 
"It always means more to play TAMUCC. Our guys have been chanting what the overall record is quite a bit, so they know what they're fighting for. It's time to shift that and they're excited for the opportunity," Robinson said. "We know that's a feisty team that knows how to win matches and we have to be at our best to do that. The guys are excited to line up and take it to them as best they can." 
 
Junior Emilien Burnel has been setting the tone for the Vaqueros as the No. 1 player. He won his second Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Singles Player of the Week award after a dominant win at No. 1 in a match against UIW. 
 
The Vaqueros are looking to get consistent performances on other courts and to see progress on the doubles courts. They've been competitive in every match, and now they're determined to fix the little things to start swinging close matches in their favor. 
 
UTRGV's tennis teams are encouraging fans to take in the doubleheader against PVAMU on Friday, starting with a women's match at 9 a.m., and bring tons of energy to help the Vaqueros pick up wins. 

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