WACO, Texas – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) men's tennis program is ready for a hefty Saturday challenge as the Vaqueros will battle a pair of ranked opponents at Baylor's Hurd Tennis Center. 

The Vaqueros (2-8) will start the day with a 10 a.m. neutral site match against the #16 Illinois Fighting Illini (5-2), then roll right into a 1 p.m. match against the #17 Baylor Bears (8-6). Between the two matches, UTRGV's student-athletes will compete against five players ranked in the top 125 in singles by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) and four doubles teams currently ranked in the ITA's top-100 doubles teams. 

This will be the second meeting between UTRGV and Illinois. The Vaqueros are 1-0 against the Fighting Illini after picking up a win way back in 1981. The Vaqueros are 14-16 all-time against the Bears in a series dating back to 1960. UTRGV's last win against Baylor was in 1993. 

The Vaqueros traveled to Waco last season and dropped a 6-1 match to the Bears, which were also ranked 17th at the time of the meeting. Sophomore Will Roberts captured his first victory over an opponent from a power conference as he defeated Justin Braverman 6-2, 5-7, 1-0 (10:5) in the sixth singles flight. 

Saturday's matches will be the third and fourth for UTRGV against ranked opponents. The Vaqueros enjoy the challenge of playing the best teams across the country and will continue to test their levels and playing styles with these marquee matchups ahead of Southland Conference play. 

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