RIO GRANDE VALLEY – On the men's tennis program at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV), everyone's goals are aligned to the team's mission, winning the conference championship.
 
The Vaqueros nearly accomplished their ultimate goal in the 2024-25 season, entering the final weekend of Southland Conference (SLC) play with a 4-0 record and a battle at fellow undefeated Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on the horizon. The Vaqueros ultimately fell to their rivals in a 4-3 battle. That experience has added more fuel to the Vaqueros desire for a championship ring.

"The guys are extremely motivated off of last year's finish," head men's tennis coach Nathan Robinson said. "Partially because of the really good success, but also because of the heartbreaking end. They spent all summer and fall preparing themselves to take that next step this year."
 
Leading the team into the Spring 2026 campaign is graduate student and reigning SLC Player of the Year Sam Whitehead who ended his spring with a 4-1 record at the No. 1 singles spot for UTRGV.
 
"He is our team leader," Robinson said. "He's been through it all. He's been through the rough years and season-ending injuries, but he is the guy on the team that everybody looks to. He works as hard if not harder than everybody else, and he's going to show you what needs to be done."
 
Returning for his fifth season, he has taken the lead as team captain for a now more experienced Vaqueros squad. A more "reserved" leader, Whitehead leads through example and has become a rock and a constant for this team.
 
Backing up Whitehead is junior Ivo Isqueiro, who earned All-Conference First Team in the No.2 singles flight last season. Isqueiro is in his fourth year with the program after redshirting his freshman season and continues to excel as an all-around singles and doubles player.
 
"Ivo is such a talented player," Robinson said. "He has tons of power, is very athletic, and is really a very smart kid. These are maybe the two of the most talented guys in the conference, and it helps to know that at the top of our lineup, we're going to compete with anybody in the country."
 
The two longest-tenured Vaqueros have helped build and instill a culture that is all about having a team-first mentality and winning championships. The culture has brewed in this now experienced Vaqueros squad which creates a unique position and role for Robinson.
 
"This is by far the oldest team we've had since I've been here," Robinson said. "We're going to have mainly upperclassmen. Most of these guys have over 100 collegiate matches under their belt. They know what it takes and nothing is going to surprise this group because they've already been through everything."
 
One member enjoying a "breakout" this year is junior Santiago Serrano. A successful fall campaign for Serrano was headlined with a trip to the Round of 32 at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Texas Regional and a semifinals appearance at the SLC fall championships.
 
"We've been waiting for Santi's breakout to kind of happen, and I think we're starting to see it," Robinson said. "He won a round at the SLC Championships, but himself and everyone around him kind of felt like he left a lot on the table. That's where we see his level now and our expectations of him as a top end guy on our program."
 
The train doesn't stop there for the Vaqueros as junior Will Roberts and sophomores Loic Young Kriegel and Tsz Him "Michael" Chan are expected to round out the lineup. Roberts ended the fall with a 3-3 record after a successful 3-1 record in conference play last season at No. 5 singles.
 
Meanwhile, Young went 3-2 at the No. 4 line and went 2-1 in doubles when paired with fellow Chilean Serrano at the No. 1 spot last spring. Young built off of this spring finish with a 5-5 record during the fall which included two big wins in their final tournament of the season.
 
Chan, a South Florida transfer, ended the fall with a 4-5 record in singles and partnered with Serrano to advance to the Round of 32 at the ITA Texas Regional.
 
"I feel like we're seven to eight people deep when it comes to guys that can compete at the DI level, which is really big," Robinson said. "The experience and talent that we have at the four through six spots, makes me feel very comfortable with what how we're going to lineup against anyone in the country."
 
The Vaqueros, per usual in Robinson's tenure, have cultivate a tough spring schedule which includes multiple power conference schools, including, Oklahoma State, SMU, Texas Tech, and Baylor.
 
"This is our typical competitive schedule that we love to play," Robinson said. "We get some Power Four schools sprinkled in, a bunch of 50/50 matches so we can see where our level is, and some fun travel spots, not just in Texas, but across the country. It's heavy in the front but then we have a long run of mid majors that will prepare us for the start of conference play."
 
However, this year, the Vaqueros seized a unique opportunity to host Arkansas and Rice in a series of matches to open the season at H-E-B Tennis Center in Harlingen which are scheduled to take place Saturday and Sunday.
 
"It's a really awesome opportunity, not just for our team, but for the Valley to be able to host an SEC school like Arkansas and the American Champions in Rice, it's a great way for us to kick off our year," Robinson said. "We'll host it at the H-E-B Tennis Center in Harlingen, which is an amazing place to play and host. We're very thankful for Jay [Udwadia] at Arkansas and Efe [Ustentag] at Rice for agreeing to come down for these matches."
 
The Vaqueros understand that nothing is given, everything is earned, and they are going to work every single day to achieve their ultimate goal, a Southland Conference championship.

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