RIO GRANDE VALLEY – As the spring season nears for The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros men's tennis team, there is a feeling of excitement and optimism in the air for the Vaqueros. 
 
"It's very exciting to have this opportunity to get this season going and really get out there, work and play against some of the best teams and best coaches," UTRGV Head Coach Nathan Robinson said. "We are going to get a full experience for our guys. It's going to be a lot of fun and I am really looking forward to getting out there and seeing the guys compete."
 
The Vaqueros have been committed to the process set forth by coach Robinson, who is in his first year at the helm of the program. Many of the Vaqueros spent the winter break competing in different tournaments. 
 
Before leaving for the break, the Vaqueros met to put down their goals and expectations for the spring. Their dedication and hard work through the break shows their belief in where they want to go.
 
"It was great seeing our guys put the work in over the break," Robinson said. "They put the work in because they know what's coming and they have high expectations for the program and for themselves. They want to be the guys who make the change. We have sat down as a team and these guys understand where this program has been over the last 20 years, and they want to be the guys that make that change. I am excited to see that happen."
 
The Vaqueros will have a quick start to their season as it gets underway on Wednesday at No. 5 TCU followed by a matchup at Texas Tech, who is receiving votes in the ITA rankings. 
 
The Vaqueros will have just one practice before their first match, which will take place in Fort Worth, but this was no surprise for the Vaqueros.
 
The was one of the reasons there was such an importance placed on the winter break. 
 
"That's one of the reasons the guys have been working so hard," Robinson said. "They knew this was coming. Starting this early is tough for us because it's tough to get the guys back. They are all over the world training and doing their thing there. We are going to entrust that they are doing their training. We'll get them back, have one practice and then face the No. 5 team in the nation."
 
The early portion of the schedule will be a challenge for the Vaqueros, but coach Robinson believes it will be beneficial for the squad. The first three matches could set the tone for the rest of the season.
 
The first three teams, the Vaqueros will also face Rice on Jan. 29, are some of the best teams in the country. If they can play well against teams of that caliber then that can give the Vaqueros a ton of confidence to get the season rolling. 
 
"The thought process behind that is why not play those teams early on," Robinson said. "We are still getting our footing and they are still getting their footing. Let's play them early and let's see what we can do. Let's gain some confidence in this process and from then on, who are we going to play that is better. We will see that level and know the level that we need to train for because we will have just experienced it. For us, it's great opportunity to expose ourselves to the cream of the crop."
 
This season, the Vaqueros will find themselves on the road for much of it as they only have three home matches. 
 
The Vaqueros will host the Corpus Christi Islanders on Feb. 15, Incarnate Word on Feb. 18, and NJIT on March 15. 
 
Playing on the road will be a challenge but the Vaqueros are looking at the positives that will come out of traveling so much this season. 
 
"We are definitely road warriors this year," Robinson said. "We are going to enjoy hotels a lot and van rides too. It's a great chance for bonding and a chance for the team to come together. We are going to spend that time in the van, in the hotels, having dinner together. It's a great time for us to come together and really talk about what is important to us and get much deeper than tennis. If you want to lay it all out for the guy next to you, you have to know more than just which side is stronger, forehand or backhand. You have to really know who the guy is and want to do that for him."
 
As the Vaqueros look forward to the spring season, they know that the measure of success is not always about the win or losses in the record. Yes, they want to win, but there are some factors that are out of their control. 
 
The Vaqueros know that they can control their effort and the biggest thing on their minds is they want to be the hardest working team on the court, no matter who they are playing.
 
The Vaqueros want whoever comes away from their match with a win to have earn it and feel it the next day.
 
"For me, I just want to put these guys in the right spots," Robinson said. "I want us to be competitive. For me, the biggest thing is, I want us to be the hardest working team. One of the things we talk about is you either want to win matches or you want to get beat but you don't want to lose. If you are the hardest working player out there, those are the options that are going to come up. Sometimes a guy is going to be flat out better than you but if you get beat by him then we can go back to the drawing board and figure out what was going on. If you go out and lose a match, then there are a lot of variables we have to work through. What we want to do is come out here and be the hardest working team, the most competitive. We want to have that chip on our shoulder and fire in our belly that we are going to work hard, and you are going to feel us tomorrow."
 
The Vaqueros have already started to put in the hard work leading up to the start of the season and if that is any indication of how hard they will work, then it will be competitive each time they step on the court. 
 
The spring season will be an interesting one for the Vaqueros as they want to kick off the Coach Robinson era on a strong note. 
 
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