ARLINGTON– The UT Arlington men's tennis team (8-7, 2-0 WAC) look to take on Western Athletic Conference (WAC) opponent UT Rio Grande Valley in their final match at the UTA Tennis Center on Friday at 2 p.m.
The Mavericks have defeated Grand Canyon and Abilene Christian to start off WAC play. In their most recent match against the Wildcats, they dropped only one point in the 6-1 victory.
Joan Torres Espinosa heads into Friday's match being ranked for two weeks by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) and as WAC Singles Player of the Week. He initially started at No. 105 in the nation, then rose 17 spots to No. 88 as announced on Tuesday. Currently, he is the only men's tennis player in the WAC to hold a ranking.
Espinosa holds a 15-2 overall record as the Mavs' primary Court 1 player. He is the only Maverick undefeated in dual match play, where he sits at 9-0 in the spring. In WAC play, he has gone 2-0 over his opponents from GCU and ACU.
Freshman pair
Meethre Barot and
Andres Medus also remain undefeated in WAC play as they hold 2-0 record. Barot has compiled an 8-5 overall record between Courts 3 and 4, while Medus sits at 9-4 with wins on Courts 4, 5 and 6.
In doubles action,
Solano Caffarena and
Pedro Sasso head into Friday's match as WAC Doubles Team of the Week. The pair earned a strong win over Abilene Christian in their second time playing together, where they defeated the Wildcats 6-3 on Court 1. They currently hold a 1-1 overall record and sit at 1-0 in WAC play.
SCOUTING UTRGV
The Vaqueros hold an 8-14 record on the season and are 0-2 in WAC play. They have fallen to Grand Canyon 5-2 and Seattle 4-3. The Mavericks hold a 24-4 overall record over the Vaqueros after their most recent meeting in 2023. The two teams met in the semifinals of the 2023 WAC Tournament, where the Mavs earned a simultaneous clinch for the 5-0 win. The Mavericks last defeat was in 1994 in Edinburg, Texas, where they lost 5-1.
– #BuckEm –
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