The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley claimed a 4-0 victory over Alcorn State in a men’s tennis match Saturday at Halls Ferry Tennis Courts in Vicksburg, Mississippi. The non-conference match marked the eighth straight loss for the Braves.
UTRGV secured the doubles point early, winning two of three doubles matches. Sam Whitehead and Ivo Isqueiro defeated Alcorn’s Matthew Holl and Vicent Llobell Buigues 6-2 at the No. 1 position. The Vaqueros’ Paolo Bonaguro and Tsz Him Chan clinched the point with a 6-3 win over Tomas Grime and Jorge Prats Navarrete at No. 3.
In singles play, UTRGV’s Bonaguro dominated Jeremiah Jones 6-0, 6-1 at the sixth position. Will Roberts defeated Grime 6-2, 6-0 on court four, and Isqueiro beat Holl 6-2, 6-2 at No. 3. Three matches remained unfinished once the result was decided, according to the official score sheet.
Alcorn interim head coach Kersten Vanem-Walker said she saw progress despite the loss. “The scoreboard doesn’t tell the whole story of what we’re doing out here,” she said. “Every time we step on the court, I see improvement from these guys. The effort, the execution, the competitiveness. It’s trending in the right direction even when the wins aren’t showing up yet.”
Alcorn will travel to Tuscaloosa, Alabama, to face Alabama on Sunday, March 1, at 5 p.m. The team encourages fans to follow Alcorn State Sports on Twitter (@BravesSports), Instagram (@AlcornSports), and YouTube (Braves Sports Network) for updates and behind-the-scenes content.
