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RIO GRANDE VALLEY – With the fall season just around the corner, you can find The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) men’s tennis team hard at work at the Orville I. Cox Tennis Center.
Last year, the Vaqueros ended the spring season in excellent shape as they went 4-1 in conference play and entered the final weekend of the season with a chance to clinch the conference championship.
With eight Vaqueros returning from last season, including all seven that competed during conference play, the team is excited to build on their momentum from the end of last season.
“For us, we have to take care of the little things,” head men’s tennis coach Nathan Robinson said. “It’s about staying focused and making sure that you’re doing everything you can to help the guy to the right and left of you. They’re going to push each other as hard as they can.”
Leading the way for UTRGV is reigning SLC Men’s Tennis Player of the Year and team captain Sam Whitehead. Whitehead has spent his entire career with UTRGV and enjoyed a breakout season which saw him go 4-1 at the No. 1 flight in SLC play.
Alongside Whitehead, junior Ivo Isqueiro enjoyed an accolade-filled season at the No. 2 flight, earning all-conference first team honors in 2024-25. Whitehead and Isqueiro combine to give the Vaqueros a lethal combination at the No. 1 and No. 2 spots.
“I feel like we have two number one guys,” Robinson said. “Two guys that can go against any number one or number two in the country and give them a fight. Both those guys came back in great shape, physically and mentally.”
In addition to the numerous returners, UTRGV also brought in freshman Luke Bishop and sophomore USF transfer Michael Chan that are already making waves within the program.
“Luke is just a fighter, a dog,” Robinson said. “He’s in practice every day just pushing guys and working hard. Michael is extremely talented; he’s a doubles guy. I’ve never seen two guys slide in and become a part of the team overnight, like they have.”
For the Vaqueros, this season presents a unique opportunity as it is the second season for the NCAA two-year pilot program which will see them crown the men’s and women’s individual tennis champions during the fall.
The SLC will be hosting their second-annual fall championship to determine their automatic qualifiers for the 2025 ITA Conference Masters Championships, which is used to advance to the national championships.
“This is a really fun tournament, and we’ve never really had that individualized side of college tennis,” Robinson said. “It’s always great to give the guys more opportunities to get on the court and improve our quality before the spring. Anytime we get to compete against the Southland Conference, we’re excited.”
In addition to the SLC championship, UTRGV will once again compete at the ITA Texas Regional and have a familiar stop in Corpus. In addition, UTRGV has scheduled a visit to SMU and Incarnate Word to close the fall season.
The fall is an important time for most tennis teams across the nation as you receive an opportunity to find good doubles pairings, ramp up into competition, and start to build chemistry with the team.
For Robinson, the fall provides an opportunity to achieve player-specific goals and help them reach their individual potential.
“For Sam and Ivo, I believe these guys should have a number next to their name,” Robinson said. “We want them to take advantage of every opportunity. For our younger guys, we want to focus on development, preparation, and getting them ready for the spring.”
This year has all the ingredients to be program-defining, and it all starts this weekend with the Jake Frederick Memorial Islander Open from Sept. 12-14.