An early end to the Vaqueros’ season

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Department of Intercollegiate Athletics announced that the men’s tennis program will forgo the remainder of the 2021 season in a news release earlier today. 

According to the department, this decision was taken as the Vaqueros had a limited number of student-athletes available for their final two matches of the season against Chicago State and Grand Canyon University as part of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Cluster at the Orville I. Cox Tennis Center. 

Of the 10 student-athletes to start off the season, two were not able to join the program due to travel restrictions, three had season-ending injuries and two had to return home due to COVID-19 related reasons. 

This left the Vaqueros with an active roster of three, one shy of the NCAA minimum required four to compete in a duel match.

In an exclusive interview with Vaquero Radio via Zoom, UTRGV men’s tennis Head Coach Dann Nelson spoke to the season’s bitter ending. 

“It’s hard to put in words because we had to stop last year and we didn’t get to play our conference season,” Nelson said. “To have to do that two years in a row, I don’t have words for it.”

The Vaqueros, through the adversity and hardship of the season, played their last three matches with the minimum required four. 

Starting with a 0-3 score, they fought valiantly before being swept 0-7 by New Mexico State and fell by one point, 3-4, to Seattle U and Prairie View A&M.

The message from Nelson, as the team continued to push through the season with the lack of student-athletes, was to remain positive and admired how the team continued to compete despite the setbacks.

“In a couple of those matches we lost by one point, guys are competing,” he said. “They’re winning doubles, they’re winning their singles match and we just didn’t have enough players out there to win the entire duel match.” 

Nelson feels the most for the upperclassmen of the team, such as senior Mateo Schmit and juniors Carlo Izurieta, Zane Kohrs and Alberto Mello, as another season has been cut short through no fault of their own. 

“They didn’t get to play their conference tournament and they didn’t get to play last year either,” Nelson said. “It’s really tough for them and you feel for those guys.” 

With the 2021 season now officially in the books, the Vaqueros end with a 3-15 record, earning victories against DIII Howard Payne University and Texas Lutheran as well as NAIA Our Lady of the Lake University.

The program had high expectations coming into the season after finishing the COVID-19-shortened 2019-20 campaign with a 6-8 record and a three-game winning streak. 

The Vaqueros now suffer its 17th-straight losing campaign since going 8-8 during the 2003-04 with their last winning season coming in 2002-03 with an 11-9 record. 

Yet, Nelson believes the challenges of the past two years will set his program for success come the first day of the new season.

“When we get through this, as we are getting through it, it just makes everybody tougher,” he said. “Those guys are all super tough guys who have been through a lot.” 

Nelson added that the program is looking forward to next year.

“We’re definitely looking forward to having a full team here on campus and also guys who are recovering from injuries, healing up and being ready to go,” he said.

UTRGV will still host the three remaining matches of the WAC Cluster on Friday and Saturday as Seattle U, Chicago State and Grand Canyon University travel to South Texas.

Twitter: @Radio_Rubio