Senior Emilien Burnel showcases his forehand technique Fall 2023 at the UTRGV Orville I. Cox Tennis Center on the Edinburg campus. THE RIDER FILE PHOTO
The UTRGV Tennis teams will compete in the Western Athletic Conference Tournament which will take place from Thursday to Saturday at the H-E-B Tennis Center in Harlingen.
On the men’s side there will be five teams competing; UTRGV, Seattle University, Abilene Christian University, Grand Canyon University and The University of Texas at Arlington.
Thursday will consist of one match, the Vaqueros at the fifth seed against Seattle at the fourth seed.
UTRGV holds a 8-13 overall record with a short WAC season record of 0-4, while Seattle has a 4-13 overall and 1-3 in conference.
The winner of the match will face off in a semifinal Friday at 9 a.m. against UT Arlington, the number one seed with a record of 10-7 overall and 4-0 in conference.
The other semifinal will occur at the same time on Friday and consist of the second and third seeds, Grand Canyon and Abilene Christian, respectively.
The winners of these semifinals will compete against each other for the championship title on Saturday at 9 a.m.
The Women’s Tennis Tournament will also take place at the H-E-B Tennis Center in Harlingen from Thursday to Saturday hosting eight programs; UTRGV, Utah Tech University, Grand Canyon University, Abilene Christian University, Seattle University, UT Arlington, Stephen F. Austin State University and Tarleton State University.
Utah Tech, the eighth seed with a record of 6-15 overall and 0-7 in conference, will face GCU, the first seed with a 19-2 overall and 7-0 conference record, at noon Thursday. Simultaneously, Seattle University, the fourth seed with a record of 9-8 overall and 4-3 in conference, will face off against Abilene Christian, the fifth seed with a record of 7-12 overall and 4-3 in conference. UTRGV, the sixth seed with a record of 10-11 overall and 2-5 in conference, will be matched with UT Arlington, the third seed with a record of 14-7 overall and 4-3 in conference, at 3 p.m. that same day. Simultaneously, SFA, the seventh seed with a record of 1-10 overall and 1-6 in conference, will play Tarleton, the second seed with a record of 15-3 overall and 6-1 in conference.
The winners of each quarter final will compete in two simultaneous semifinals at noon on Friday and the winners of the semifinals will compete for the title at noon on Saturday .
UTRGV Men’s Tennis head coach Nathan Robinson said he was excited that the Vaqueros were hosting the tournament in the Rio Grande Valley.
“We’re super excited to kind of just show off what we can do and what the Valley can offer,” Robinson said. “… It’s very comfortable, it’s our conditions, I think that’s the biggest advantage that we have. A lot of the coaches that have talked to me, they’re like ‘Man, it’s a sauna,’ and for us it’s like, ‘It’s kind of a nice day today.’ That’s a great advantage for us and just not having to be on a flight or drive seven hours.”
He said the team is confident to play Seattle outdoors.
Last year, UTRGV initially lost against Seattle during the regular WAC season, but still beat them during the WAC Tournament.
Freshman Ivo Isqueiro said the team feels more and more confident going into the tournament.
“Last year we lost against Seattle first, then conference we beat them, so hopefully we can do the same this year,” he said. “The guys are doing much better since we last played them.”
Isqueiro said the Vaqueros were happy to not have to travel for the tournament.
“The conditions are the conditions we practice in,” he said. “Everything is what we’re used to. … It’s very close and it’s very comfortable.”
