SAN ANTONIO – UTSA men’s tennis (0-1) has made sure that the Roadrunners and Vaqueros will face off this season, making arrangements to play UT Rio Grande Valley (2-3) on the road following last week’s weather cancelation. The Roadrunners will head due south to Edinburg, Texas to take on UT Rio Grande Valley, at 12 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 24, at the Vaqueros’ Orville I. Cox Tennis Center.
Following In-Match Action
There will be no live stream, but live results are expected from the Cox Tennis Center – with a link to be provided on the morning of the match. Check the Match Day posting to follow along on @UTSAMT.
About the Roadrunners
The Roadrunners opened the season on the road, playing indoors due to severe winter weather, at No. 22 Oklahoma. UTSA rallied to win the doubles point, but were only able to secure one singles victory in the 5-2 loss to the Sooners.
With a hand in both of the points from the OU match, Alan Magadan partnered with 115th-ranked singles and secured the initial UTSA win on the first court, defeating Alex Martinez and Kholo Montsi, 6-4, to even things up. Tiago Torres and partner Miguel Alonso rallied from a 4-5 deficit to take the 7-6(5) doubles point from the 22nd-ranked Sooners.
On court two singles, Magadan scrapped out a two-set victory over Justin Schlageter 6-4, 7-6(4). Pinho came up just short after forcing a third set on three. Also seeing action on opening weekend were Jackson Ross, Garrett Skelly and Danijal Muminovic.
It will be a homecoming of sorts for Magadan, who is playing the closest to home since joining the Roadrunners before the 2022-23 season. Hailing from McAllen, Texas, Edinburg is situated just north of McAllen by a mere 13 miles, providing a great opportunity this season for family and friends to see him in action.
Magadan is returning after competing in the NCAA Doubles Championship last year, reaching the Round of 16 – and earning first-team All-Conference USA doubles and singles honors. Torres was also a first team All-Conference USA selection in 2023 and represented Portugal in singles and doubles this summer at the World University Games in Chengdu, China.
The Roadrunners are looking to follow up strong from one of the best seasons in program history. During the 2022-23 season, UTSA captured the most wins since 1985 on an 18-7 record, reached the final of the Conference USA Championships and earned the program’s first At-Large bid for the school’s fifth appearance in the NCAA Championships. In addition, the Roadrunners had a doubles pair earn the ITA Texas Region Championship – a program-first – and advance to the National Quarterfinal. The same tandem earned a postseason win and reached the Round of 16 at the NCAA Doubles Championships. On top of all that, UTSA set new program records for ITA team ranking multiple times, reaching as high as 34th and ending the season at No. 42.
About the Vaqueros
Unlike the Roadrunners, UTRGV already has its schedule fully rolling and will take up their sixth match on Wednesday with a 2-3 record, with wins at home over Lamar and at St. Mary’s (TX).
The Vaqueros finished 7-19 last season and enter 2024 with four notable losses from a year ago. This year’s team is led by in senior Emilien Burnel, junior Sam Whitehead and sophomore Agustin Salazar, entering the third year under head coach Nathan Robinson.
Series with UT Rio Grande Valley
One of UTSA’s older series, dating back to 1982 and when UTRGV was UT Pan American, the Roadrunners hold a 39-10 advantage in the all-time record and are 8-4 playing in Edinburg. The Roadrunners have earned the win in each of the last nine consecutive matches, including last year’s season-closing 6-1 win at the UTSA Tennis Center on April 18.
Up Next
The next stop for the Roadrunners after traveling to face the Vaqueros is the ITA Kickoff Weekend in Austin at the Texas Tennis Center. UTSA is scheduled to face No. 3 Texas on Friday, Jan. 27, followed on Saturday, Jan. 28 by a meeting with either Oklahoma State or Utah.
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