DALLAS – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) men's tennis team is kicking off a string of three matches against a ranked opponent Saturday as the Vaqueros will play the #52 SMU Mustangs at 12 p.m. at the Styslinger/Altec Tennis Complex. 
 
Because of inclement weather across Texas, Saturday's match will be played indoors. The Vaqueros (2-7, 0-0 Southland Conference) are 1-17 all-time against the Mustangs (7-6, 0-0 Atlantic Coast Conferrence) in a series dating back to 1969. UTRGV played at SMU last season in Dallas and fell 7-0. UTRGV's lone win in the head-to-head series was in 1977. 
 
The Mustangs come into this one ranked in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's (ITA) top-75 and have three players ranked in the top-125. SMU is led by Trevor Svajda, who is the #87 ranked singles player, #94 Jerry Barton, and #117 Georgi Georgiev. SMU has lost three matches in a row, but those contests were all against top-10 teams. 
 
UTRGV is led by redshirt junior and team captain Sam Whitehead, who has been dynamic in the top singles flight this season after missing most of last year due to injury. Leading the way in doubles is the Chilean duo of sophomore Santiago Serrano and freshman Loic Young Kriegel, who have won three matches in a row at No. 1 doubles. 
 
The Vaqueros are no strangers to facing top-ranked opponents. Head coach Nathan Robinson has consistently challenged his team with perennial powers and the student-athletes enjoy the opportunity to see how they measure up against some of the best players in the country. The message for these matches is to play their styles and bring tons of energy to the courts. 

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