RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The heat and wind will be turned up almost as high as The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley's (UTRGV) women's tennis team's energy always is this weekend, but the Vaqueros are prepared for the challenge as they chase two Western Athletic Conference (WAC) wins on their home court. 
 
UTRGV (6-6, 1-1 WAC) hosts the Grand Canyon (GCU) Lopes on Friday and the New Mexico State (NMSU) Aggies on Sunday. Both matches will begin at 10 a.m. at the Orville Cox Tennis Center. 
 
The Vaqueros opened WAC play with a loss at Tarleton and a huge bounce-back 4-3 win at Abilene Christian and are feeling confident heading into the next pair of conference matches. 
 
"I think the team is hyped for this weekend," assistant women's and men's tennis coach Ekaterina Vorobeva said. "They were super excited to end last weekend with the conference win. We're ready for these next two matches. I think we're going to do great things." 
 
UTRGV is 3-6 against GCU (8-6, 2-0 WAC). The two teams last met in 2021, with the Lopes taking a 7-0 victory. GCU was the regular season WAC West Division Champion in 2022. The Vaqueros are 3-10 against the Aggies (8-7, 2-0 WAC), who won the 2022 WAC Tournament. UTRGV has dropped its last three matches to NMSU, but all have been tight contests, including last year's bout in Stephenville which resulted in a 4-3 win for the Aggies. Sunday's match will be the first between the two teams in Edinburg since 2008. 
 
"Against Grand Canyon, I think it's going to be more of a mental fight because of the conditions. It's supposed to be super windy, hot, sunny, so it's really about mental toughness and being prepared and not get frustrated during the match," Vorobeva said. "For New Mexico State, we're just ready to get out there and fight. We'll show up and give our best." 
 
It'll be a challenging weekend with both the conditions and the competition, but the Vaqueros aren't shying away from any of it. The team is seeing good performances from the entire lineup and has someone different step up every match, which has resulted in the lineup being shifted in both doubles and singles often. 
 
Junior Isabelle Bahr and sophomore Marjorie Souza are heading into this weekend's matches riding a three-match winning streak and got off to a great 2-0 start in conference. They have won five matches at No. 1 and three at No. 2 this spring. Junior Lea Karren and sophomore Barbara Martinez are 6-2 as a duo with five wins at No. 2. 
 
Bahr, Karren, Martinez and Souza have each earned one singles win early in the WAC campaign. They've shored up the top end of the lineup and will lead the Vaqueros as they aim to rise up the conference standings behind the energy of their home courts. 
 
UTRGV encourages the community to come out and cheer on the Vaqueros through both matches. 
 
"We've been playing really well in doubles. Our No. 1 and No. 2 pairs, we keep switching them constantly because they're both so good," Vorobeva said. "With singles as well we have so many people that are very competitive. Our lineup keeps changing. Regardless of position or if they play, the student-athletes are ready to be a team player and do whatever it takes for the team to win." 

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