The UTRGV Men’s Tennis Team began its new season with three matches against Oral Roberts University in Oklahoma and its first home matches against St. Mary’s University, making its record 2-2 as of press time.
The Vaqueros played two matches against Southern Methodist University and the University of Texas at Tyler last Saturday at SMU. As of press time, results were not available.
Asked how the team has been preparing, head coach Nathan Robinson replied they have been working hard during the offseason.
“Playing a lot of tournaments, getting on the court,” Robinson said. “We had three guys stay down here in the [Rio Grande] Valley and worked pretty hard. And guys who went back home spent, you know, three or four hours a day on the court looking for tournaments.”
He said the players came back in good shape and showed it after their 4-3 victory Jan. 16 against Oral Roberts University in Oklahoma.
Senior Te Kani Williams said he practiced with sophomore teammate Sam Whitehead during the offseason.
“We did a lot of preseason training,” Williams said. “We worked hard every day. I know a lot of the guys went home and worked really hard as well. … I think, mentally, we just sort of visualize winning and an end goal in mind, which is winning a championship.”
UTRGV competed in four tournaments during the fall, including the UTSA Roadrunner Invitational, Intercollegiate Tennis Association Regionals, M25 Harlingen International Tennis Federation and the UTRGV Tennis College-am hosted at the Orville I. Cox Tennis Center.
Asked how he prepared for the season, freshman Agustin Salazar replied he had been training, going to the gym and running a lot.
Salazar said he tries to “remain calm” and “see how it goes.”
Robinson said the team has good chemistry.
“These guys all have similar focuses and similar plans and [the] same goals,” he said. “It makes everything very easy. They’re just hard-working guys who like being on the tennis court and being around each other.”
Williams believes Robinson has fostered a positive working environment and culture in general.
“With our coach, I feel like he’s a great leader,” he said. “From the beginning of the semester in the fall, he’s really outlined what he hopes from us this season.”
Williams said coming off their first win of the season showed how well the team gets along and how they push each other forward.
“I think all the guys have shown up wanting to get better every day,” he said. “Within the team, I feel like, this year, it’s a really positive environment. The chemistry is great.”
Williams said achieving their first Division 1 victory early on sets the tone for the rest of the season.
“Winning definitely feels good, especially when it comes early and is such a team effort,” he said. “There were a lot of three-set matches. It was a big fight, so I feel like coming off that, it was really positive for us going forward. It’s going to be better than last season and we’re hoping to win.”
The Vaqueros ended last season with a record of 2-4 in conference and 6-17, overall.
Williams is excited to play against all the teams in the Western Athletic Conference since the outcomes will determine UTRGV’s seeding and set the tone for the WAC Tournament.
“I expect us, one, to give our [100%] in every match we play, always support each other through wins, through losses, keep each other accountable and come away with a WAC Championship ring,” he said.
Salazar and Robinson both expect more wins this year.
“We’re not scared of anybody, but we respect everybody,” Robinson said. “We expect to step on the court, compete hard and be competitive every time we walk out there. But we want to do it in the right way, professional manner, respectful and good energy.”
He said the goal every year is to win conference.
The Vaqueros are set to play eight home matches this season, including one against Lamar University this Friday and two conference matches.
