RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros women's tennis team is opening Southland Conference (SLC) action Saturday as it hosts the Southeastern Louisiana (SLU) Lions at 1 p.m. at the Orville Cox Tennis Center. 
 
The Vaqueros (2-3, 0-0 SLC) are 3-5 all-time against the Lions (7-1, 0-0 SLC). These teams haven't matched up since 2008 when Southeastern picked up a 6-1 victory in a neutral-site match in Baton Rouge. SLU has won two consecutive matches against UTRGV, with UTRGV's last win in the series coming in 2001. 
 
Saturday's match will be the first ever played between the teams in Edinburg. 
 
Though the Vaqueros are coming off a tough loss at Texas State, they're feeling good heading into the conference opener. Nott believes the conference is pretty even and thinks his team has what it takes to grind out a competitive match. Hosting the pair of conference contests also gives UTRGV the home court advantage to start off on the right foot. 
 
UTRGV is aiming to set the tone with strong doubles play, led by the No. 1 duo of sophomore Rhea Makesar and freshman Mariia Bakhtina. Makesar has looked solid in her first spring with the Vaqueros and Nott feels she can push her teammates to achieve. 
 
The Vaqueros have prepared physically and mentally for the grind of the conference season. They'll be facing a lot of new opponents and playing in unfamiliar venues, so having a strong opening weekend is a key focus.