DAVIS, Calif. – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) men's tennis team is on west coast time for the next week as the Vaqueros will be playing four matches in California from March 7-10. 
 
The Vaqueros (2-10, 0-0 Southland Conference) will play their first three matches as part of the Golden State Men's Tennis Invitational co-hosted by UC Davis and Sacramento State. UTRGV plays two matches Friday at UC Davis. First will be a neutral site match against Saint Mary's College (1-9, 0-0 West Coast Conference) at 12 p.m. and second a 4 p.m. match against the UC Davis Aggies (6-4, 1-0 Big West), both at the Marya Welch Tennis Center. UTRGV caps the invitational with a 12 p.m. match Saturday at Sacramento State (5-6, 1-2 Big Sky). 
 
After a day of travel and site-seeing, UTRGV will play at UC Riverside (2-9, 0-0 Big West) at 11 a.m. Monday. 
 
The Golden State Invitational will give UTRGV a chance to play three opponents it has never faced before, and the Monday match at UC Riverside is a first-time meeting, too. Head coach Nathan Robinson has some familiarity with the California programs, though, as he spent four years as an assistant coach for UC Davis before taking the UTRGV job in 2021. 
 
After playing three consecutive matches against ranked opponents, Robinson said the west coast trip pits the Vaqueros against teams of a similar level and will give them a chance to stack up some wins. UTRGV opens SLC play at the end of the month, so the next few matches will be key to build some momentum and fix the details before the next chapter of the season. 
 
The Vaqueros are also looking to use this trip for team bonding. They'll enjoy some of the natural sites California has to offer and will be making a stop at the Indian Wells Open to watch some professional tennis, too. 

Support UTRGV Men's Tennis | Become a Fan on Facebook | Follow us on Twitter | Follow us on Instagram | Follow us on YouTube