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RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros men’s tennis program is ready to open conference play with a home match against the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (TAMUCC) Islanders Saturday in the second round of the South Texas Showdown, presented by Rally Credit Union.
 
Last Time Out
 
The Vaqueros enter the match with fresh legs after not competing since March 9. In that weekend, they completed a three-match swing in the Washington Metropolitan Area where they visited Mount St. Mary’s, George Mason, and Morgan State.
 
The Vaqueros defeated Mount St. Mary’s on March 7 in a 4-0 sweep. In doubles, the duo of junior Will Roberts and sophomore Loic Young Kriegel earned a 6-2 win on court two while the duo of junior Paolo Bonaguro and sophomore Tsz Him Chan picked up a 6-4 win on court three.
 
In singles, the Vaqueros dominated at the bottom of the lineup winning 36/38 games played between courts four and six. Bonaguro finished first on court six, winning 6-0, 6-0 to push the UTRGV lead to 2-0.
 
Roberts and Chan wrapped up simultaneously, each picking up 6-0, 6-1 wins on courts four and five, respectively.
 
The Vaqueros fell at George Mason 4-0 before packing up and heading to Morgan State for their second match of the day. The Bears scraped out a 4-3 win, but UTRGV showed fight throughout the match.
 
The Vaqueros took the doubles point with wins on courts one and two. On court one, graduate student Sam Whitehead and Young combined for a 6-3 win while junior Ivo Isqueiro and Roberts earned a similar result on court two.
 
In singles play, Whitehead picked up the first point of the session, winning 6-3, 6-2 on court one. Isqueiro picked up the final win of the day for UTRGV, storming back to down Ilya Maltsev 4-6, 6-1, 6-2.
 
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi – March 21, 1 p.m. – Orville Cox Tennis Center – Edinburg, Texas
 

The Vaqueros will host Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in the second round of the South Texas Showdown, presented by Rally Credit Union, Saturday at 1 p.m. UTRGV is 14-57 all-time against TAMUCC with its last win coming in 2024. TAMUCC defeated UTRGV in the most recent matchup on Feb. 11.
 
In that match, the bottom of the lineup shined for UTRGV. Young picked up the first win, 6-2, 6-3 over Matthieu Coignet, for UTRGV to close the gap to a 2-1 lead for TAMUCC. The final match of the day was on court six as Chan battled Filip Vacula to a 6-2, 7-6 (8:6) victory.
 
TAMUCC, a fellow member of the Southland Conference, is 12-2 this season and enters conference play with four of its last five matches.
 
This match is the conference opener for both squads and will take place following the conclusion of the women’s tennis match, which is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m.
 
The first 50 fans in attendance will receive free #BeatCorpus t-shirts and fans will receive free pizza, while supplies last, courtesy of LuAnn Alexander Tennis Academy. All matches at the Orville Cox Tennis Center are free and open to the public. Fans can also follow along through live results.
 
The South Texas Showdown, presented by Rally Credit Union
 
The South Texas Showdown, presented by Rally Credit Union, is an annual rivalry between UTRGV and TAMUCC that spans across 14 sports for the right to hoist the championship trophy.
 
UTRGV is looking for its first victory in the showdown since the 2022-23 athletic year. The Vaqueros currently lead 24.5-19.5 with six points up for grabs on Saturday, three for the women’s tennis match, that will precede the men’s match, and three for the men’s tennis match.
 
With 60 allotted points for the showdown, the men’s and women’s tennis programs account for 12 total points, six for each program across their two respective matches.
 
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