BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros men's tennis team is heading into its next match against a premier program with significant momentum after winning three matches in a row. 
 
The Vaqueros (7-11) built up their confidence with a big Saturday in the first Rio Grande Valley Invitational, defeating New Mexico State, 5-2, and Morgan State, 7-0. They went 15-3 across all courts and have seen great singles play through their three-match winning streak, winning 17 of their last 18 singles bouts. 
 
Senior captain Emilien Burnel at No. 1, freshman Ivo Isqueiro at No. 3, freshman Santiago Serrano at No. 4 and freshman Paolo Bonaguro at No. 5 have all gone undefeated in that stretch. Freshman Will Roberts is riding a four-match winning streak at No. 6. UTRGV's doubles play has shown improvement as well as the young squad is finding a rhythm and showing consistent development. 
 
"We've really brought great energy in singles and doubles all across the board. We always preach about going nine-for-nine and we've done a really good job from a focus standpoint, so I think we're seeing major growth and that's why we're on this streak," head coach Nathan Robinson said.  
 
Now, the Vaqueros will face their fifth opponent this season currently ranked in the top 75 by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA). UTRGV and No. 12 Texas A&M (13-3) will play at 12 p.m. Wednesday at the Mitchell Tennis Center. The Vaqueros are 17-13 all-time against the Aggies in a series dating back to 1960. Their last victory came in 1983. The last match between these teams was in April 2022 and saw A&M take a 6-1 win at home. 
 
UTRGV will use this opportunity to line up against a solid team to test its playing style and execution and work on a few things while playing loose with nothing to lose. 
 
"You don't get ranked as high as No. 10 in the country by accident. They're playing very, very well and they're extremely talented, one through eight or nine in the lineup," Robinson said. "For us to be competitive there, we're going to have to be at our best, extremely focused, and really believing in our game styles and going after it. We can open the shoulders up a little bit and really work on some things. So that's going to be the plan, to work on some specifics and really trust our game style. If we do that, we'll be competitive and then it'll come down to who executes better." 

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