MT: UTA recognizes Arbiza on Senior Day
4/15/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
By Cassie Logan | @c4ssielogan
ARLINGTON, Texas - As the regular season comes to a close, the UT Arlington men's tennis team will salute its captain, Carlos Arbiza, one last time at the UTA Tennis Center on Saturday.
All eyes will be on the Mavericks' only four-year player for Senior Day and the finale against No. 11 Midwestern State (Division II) at the UTA Tennis Center. Arbiza has been everything from captain to teammate to player to coach.
"It will definitely be an important day for me to play with UTA on my back," Arbiza said. "I have so many great memories with this family since the first day that I got here. It has been the best four years and a great experience that I couldn't be more proud of."
Throughout his tenure at UTA, the Caracas, Venezuela product has proven his versatility in the Maverick lineup and his ability to be a firm leader among his teammates.
His career singles record stands at 54-47 with 30 doubles wins, each coming from positions one through six. Arbiza arrived at UTA on a mission and immediately began to make an impact in 2013.
As a freshman, Arbiza stole two of three matches at the No. 2 spot, and won half of his 12 played as a No. 3. The newcomer impressed in doubles beside Yauheni Yakauleu as the duo donned a 7-3 record while playing as the No. 2 pair. The success later earned them second team All-WAC honors.
Arbiza wasn't intimidated by UTA's conference shift during the 2013-14 season and even thrived among Sun Belt competition. He garnered Sun Belt Student-Athlete of the Week and first=team All-Sun Belt singles honors.
"We never have to look too much on his court because we have a lot of confidence in his level of play," UT Arlington coach Diego Benitez said.
The Venezuelan catapulted his way into the ITA rankings in both singles and doubles that season. Arbiza and partner Javier Perez were ranked as high as No. 49 nationally after taking down rival TCU's No. 18 doubles pair, and capped the season at No. 63. Prior to the rankings, the Mavericks had not had a doubles team ranked since 2005. The sophomore also ranked 125th in singles.
Arbiza emerged as a leader last season, when he headed the Mavs with an 11-3 singles record towards a No. 71 final standing in the Oracle/ITA Division I Men's National Collegiate Team Rankings.
Benitez knew Arbiza was the most qualified and capable candidate for the captain role this year with his fierce attitude and the heart he has for every play, every match and every player on the squad. That's why it's not hard for the Mavericks, young or old, to follow his example.
"Ever since day one, he was one of those players that really committed and took a lot of pride in UTA and his career," Benitez said. "Everybody else looks up to him and follows his leadership.
"Sometimes he needs to be tough with his teammates and that is a quality that not many people have. He makes the coaches' jobs much easier."
Arbiza has already tied his season-high for singles wins as a result of a current eight-match winning streak with one home match left before the Sun Belt Championship. The senior is 7-0 in the No. 4 position and 2-1 as the No. 3 player with a responsibility to secure points for the Mavs.
UTA is 14-10 following a trio of losses through the season's toughest week of matches from March 30 through April 3. The slate included three consecutive Top-30 opponents, including No. 2 TCU.
The Mavericks have focused on physical conditioning this week with intense hours of practice in preparation for the Mustangs on Saturday and the Sun Belt Conference Tournament exactly one week away.
"We're looking to get a little more consistent in some of the spots in the lineup," Benitez said. "Anything can happen in the tournament. We are going to go there and take one match at a time, play our tennis and see what happens."
For now, UTA's sole focus is on the challenging task ahead in a competitive Midwestern State program. The teams are locked at 4-4 in the all-time series, meeting just twice since 2003.
The Mustangs are 12-6 this season after a pair of road losses at No. 16 Northwest Missouri State and Abilene Christian.
Arbiza will be recognized prior to the match before taking his final swings at the UTA Tennis Center.
"It's going to be hard when I leave to never feel that pressure that comes with fighting next to my teammates again, but I will always keep that with me in the future," Arbiza said. "I will always be a Maverick for life."
