MT: Mavs take three-match trip to Florida
2/18/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
By Cassie Logan | @c4ssielogan
ARLINGTON, Texas - After capturing its sixth win in a row, the UT Arlington men's tennis team will embark on a three-day trip to the Sunshine State this weekend.
The Mavericks (6-3) face Florida Atlantic at 12 p.m. CT Friday in Boca Raton. UTA then travels to Orlando for a pair of matches against Florida Gulf Coast at 11 a.m. CT Saturday and UCF at 10 a.m. CT Sunday.
"We usually take a couple of trips a year, but we haven't been in the last six or seven years," UT Arlington coach Diego Benitez said. "It's going to be great to get out there, enjoy the good weather and play against competition that we don't know much about. It's always good to have fresh competition."
The Mavericks are coming off of their fifth consecutive win at the UTA Tennis Center, a challenging 5-2 decision over UMKC. UTA earned the doubles point and finished the job with wins in positions one through four. But to keep the momentum of a six-match win streak going, Benitez expects victories from the lower end of the lineup, as well.
In the team's last road match on Feb. 8, the Mavs clinched a grueling battle over No. 65 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. After losing the doubles point and matches in the No. 1 and 2 positions, Mario Muniesa, Carlos Arbiza, Daniel Armengol and Pablo Colvee carried the team to a 4-3 victory against one of UTA's rivals.
Benitez believes that match was one of the best in recent seasons as it instilled more drive and confidence in the Maverick lineup.
Arbiza, the lone senior and team captain, is 5-1 overall with four wins made in the No. 4 position. Armengol has yet to lose his five matches with two wins in the No. 4 position and three as a No. 5.
"We have to continue to play well with adversity," Benitez said. "To win a match like that 4-3, going down to the wire, it gives us a lot of motivation. We're just trying to get enough momentum to make sure we win on the lower positions."
Florida Atlantic is 4-5 on the season after a 4-3 loss to Army West Point Feb 14. Florida Gulf Coast is hot on a four-match win streak and 5-2 overall. UCF is 2-3, including a win against Sun Belt foe Louisiana on Feb. 7.
For live updates throughout the weekend, follow @UTAMavsTennis on Twitter.
