SEATTLE – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) women's tennis team is heading west for a pair of important Western Athletic Conference (WAC) matches at Seattle U and Utah Tech this weekend. 
 
The Vaqueros (8-10, 0-4 WAC) will first face off with the Seattle U Redhawks (7-7, 2-2 WAC) Friday at 1 p.m. (CT) at the SU Tennis Courts. UTRGV is 8-3 all-time against the Redhawks in a competitive series, with the last two matches being decided at 4-3. 
 
Last year, the Vaqueros went to Seattle and pulled off a gritty 4-3 victory indoors after clinching the doubles point and getting a singles win from junior Marjorie Souza. This year's match will be played outdoors. 
 
On Sunday, UTRGV will take on the Utah Tech Trailblazers (6-13, 0-5 WAC) Sunday at 11 a.m. (CT) at the Trailblazer Tennis Courts. The Vaqueros are 3-0 against Utah Tech and swept the Trailblazers on the road last season, earning a dominant 7-0 win. 
 
The Vaqueros know no match in the conference is easy, but they're hitting the road with a positive mindset and determined to generate some momentum ahead of the conference tournament, which runs April 18-20 in Harlingen.
 
"It's been really competitive in the league. We had a great year last year, but I think everyone's ready for us now. We just have to get better," head coach West Nott said. "We're trying to keep inching our way forward for the WAC Tournament and this weekend is a huge opportunity. We're still trying to find a way to be consistent in doubles play so we're going to try some new combinations this weekend and we're really excited about it."  
 
Along with focusing heavily on doubles this week in practice, the Vaqueros have also been working on having the right mentality despite the conference skid. The team chemistry and culture, anchored by graduate student Isabelle Bahr and senior Lea Karren, remains strong and upbeat as they keep working hard and pushing to get back in the win colum. 
 
"We've been talking about character all week," Nott said. "What do you do when things go bad? When people get knocked down it's easy to point a finger, blame, start complaining. But everyone has challenged themselves to look inward to see what we can do better individually. We have good character on this team so everyone's in positive spirits. We'll come together and see if we can perform well with a lot of energy on match day." 

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