Anna 
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) men’s tennis team continued its dominant form Monday, defeating the University of the Incarnate Word (UIW) 6-1 in a Southland Conference (SLC) match at the Orville Cox Tennis Center.
With the victory, the Vaqueros extended their winning streak to eight matches — their longest since 1987, when they won nine straight. The win also marks UTRGV’s first over UIW since March 2020.
The Vaqueros, now 10-13 overall and 4-0 in conference play, have secured at least 10 wins in a season for the first time since 2018. They are currently tied with Texas A&M-Corpus Christi for first place in the SLC standings.
UTRGV came out strong in doubles play, securing the point with high energy and focused execution. Sophomore Ivo Isqueiro and freshman Eduardo Menezes set the tone with a convincing 6-2 win in the third doubles match, earning their seventh consecutive victory as a pair.
The other two doubles matches were tightly contested. On Court 1, sophomore Santiago Serrano and freshman Loic Young Kriegel clinched the doubles point with a 7-6 (7-1) tiebreak win. The second flight featuring Sam Whitehead and Paolo Bonaguro was left unfinished, with the duo leading 1-0 in the tiebreaker.
Whitehead, a redshirt junior, dominated his No. 1 singles match, delivering a strong performance on his Senior Day to give UTRGV a 2-0 lead.
Serrano followed with a 6-2, 6-4 win on Court 3, and sophomore Will Roberts sealed the team victory on Court 5 with a 6-4, 6-1 result — his second match-clinching win in a row.
UIW (7-7, 1-2 SLC) managed to get on the scoreboard with a three-set win from Rafael Candelas on Court 4. However, the Vaqueros responded quickly. Isqueiro and Menezes both secured straight-set wins in their singles matches on Courts 2 and 6, respectively, closing out the day on a high note.
The win sets the stage for a crucial season finale this Saturday, as UTRGV travels to face Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at 2 p.m. in the South Texas Showdown, presented by Rally Credit Union. Both teams are unbeaten in conference play, making the match a likely decider for the regular season title.
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