HARLINGEN — The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley’s men’s tennis team came into the WAC Tournament ranked last in the conference.

The Vaqueros played their conference opponents hard during the season and went into the WAC Tournament hopeful, said Emilien Burnel, UTRGV’s only senior and its No. 1.

UTRGV came out with a dominant win Thursday over Seattle 4-0 and came up just short of picking up an upset over the top-ranked team in the conference, UT Arlington, on Friday, falling 4-3 at the H-E-B Tennis Center.

“Obviously any time it ends in a loss it is a disappointment, but this team has had its battles over the year. Injuries and things like that,” UTRGV’s men’s tennis head coach Nathan Robinson said. “The guys have just put their heads down and fought.

“For them to be able to put that kind of effort against a team that beat us in the regular season and is the defending conference champions bodes well for what we have coming. I think the Southland should pay attention to what is coming,” Robinson added.

Burnel echoed his coach’s sentiment. Burnel said the team took the regular season to figure out what it is. Three of Burnel’s teammates did not join until January.

UTRGV played its first match after the winter break on Jan. 13.

“When we won against Seattle 4-0 (on Thursday), we knew we could do it and we showed our courage,” Burnel said. “(On Friday), I think this was one of the times where our team had the most energy. Against Arlington, we lost 5-2 in the regular season, today we were ready to give everything we had.”

The match came down to freshman Ivo Isqueiro’s singles match. Isquerio battled back during the second set to force a third, and he battled back again in third when down 5-2 to make it 5-4, but he came up short in an attempt to send his team to the conference finals.

UTRGV was down 1-0 after doubles but picked up the first singles win with Burnel.

“It is important for me to get that point as the No. 1 player, to show my team that they can count on me,” Burnel said.

Burnel, from La Teste-De-Bush, France, said he played his best tennis the past two years in the Valley and that he is going to miss UTRGV.

Burnel easily dispatched UT Arlington’s Joan Torres Espinosa 6-3, 6-4. Burnel beat the WAC’s player of the year for the second time this season.

“We got to see Emi one last time and prove that he is the WAC player of the year,” Robinson said.

Robinson is going to miss Burnel, too.

“He has been the rock that started the major shift in the program,” Robinson said. “He will be irreplaceable, but we are hoping that the guys that come back next year continue to build his legacy.”

UTRGV sophomore and former McAllen Memorial standout Agustin Salazar won his singles match against UT Arlington and was leading his doubles match before Arlington rallied back to win the point. Salazar also won his singles match against Seattle.

Salazar had an up-and-down season but caught some momentum coming into the tourney and had some home court advantage, having played at the tennis center since since he was young.

“I thought it was a good tournament on the personal side for me, but of course as a team we lost,” Salazar said.

Salazar also was impressed with how the team performed despite being an underdog every match.

“He definitely had an up-and-down, rocky year, but his talent is undeniable and his competitiveness is undeniable, and we got to see the Gus that we see every day in practice, in conference, so we are super excited to get him as an upperclassman and see how much more growth he has in him,” Robinson said.

Salazar won his match 6-4, 6-3. Paolo Bonaguro won the other point for the Vaqueros by winning his match 6-1, 6-4.

The WAC tournament championships conclude at 9 a.m. today at the H-E-B Tennis Center in Harlingen.

PHOTOS OF WAC Tourney by Andrew Cordero

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The La Feria girls golf team might have had its best finish at a regional tournament, but it was not good enough for the players.

The Lionettes finished fifth at the Region IV-4A tournament Thursday, only missing out on state by 11 strokes. Not bad for a team that finished near the bottom in 2023.

“We were off a little bit,” La Feria head golf coach David Briones said. “We did not play our best but we played good enough to keep up, and I think if we would have been at our best we could have came out in the top three.”

Briones said the goal was to be at least top five in 2024. The team accomplished that with a group that will have a chance to redeem itself next year. Maria Pizano was the only senior on the team.

Only four scores count from a team of five, and Pizano’s was not one of them for the two-day tournament.

La Feria’s Karina Rios, Miah Munoz, Alliana Briones and Zoe Flores combined for a score of 166-over par, finishing behind Davenport’s 69-over, Fredericksburg’s 87-over, Devine’s 155-over and Calallen’s 161-over.

Flores, Briones, Munoz and Rios are all coming back next year.

Rios did not shy away from admitting her disappointment despite her coach being more optimistic.

“I just got to work harder next year and expect more for myself,” Rios said.

Rios finished in 12th individually out of 95 competitors, 14 strokes off of qualifying individually. The top three finishers did not come from a team in the top three, which does not happen often. The top three schools and top three individuals not on the top three teams qualify for state.

“Hopefully, we come back next year a little stronger,” Briones said. “We will have the base of our team coming back next year, and once we find a new No. 5 we will have a complete team.”

Briones said it was a good experience for his team again as it has shown progression from 2023 to 2024, but next year the goal is not just to improve.

The goal in 2025 is state for the La Feria girls golf team.

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Brownsville St. Joseph senior Fran Gamez did it again.

Gamez is the TAPPS 5A state boys singles champion for the third straight year after winning the tournament Wednesday in Waco. The senior tennis standout defeated Austin Regent’s Tucker Rannala to capture the state title.

“It feels great, it is an amazing accomplishment,” Gamez said. “I am just very happy, excited, and it feels good when you put in the work and work hard. It pays off.”

Gamez’s toughest state match came against Austin Hyde Park’s Anthony Tegen. Gamez dropped the first set but came back to win the next two for the three-peat opportunity.

“I felt like I was not that consistent,” Gamez said.

Congratulations to Fran Gamez from St. Joseph Academy, the 2024 5A Singles State Champion!! pic.twitter.com/G8PekT5HbJ

— TAPPS Tennis (@TAPPS_Tennis) April 17, 2024

Gamez noticed his opponent slowing down from a possible injury, and he took over.

The senior added that his next opponent was tough as well because of the stark contrast he faced in the semifinal round, but still Gamez was poised.

Gamez said the hardest title he won was his sophomore title, his first year as a Bloodhound. Some of his hardest matches have come against UIL opponents or at tournaments.

The St. Joseph star’s last loss in the high school tennis scene came at the hands of former Sharyland High stud Alan Gonzalez last year. Gonzalez is playing NCAA DI tennis at St. Francis University in Pennsylvania.

Gamez’s last loss in a tournament was to UTRGV’s Ivo Isquerio, who was competing with the Vaqueros in the WAC Championships this week at the H.E.B Tennis Center.

“Right now I am just focusing on trying to play in college,” Gamez said. “I am just looking forward, see what happens and keep training. Maybe I can move to a DI or play in play some prize money tournaments.”

Gamez said he belongs at the DI level, even if he has to transfer at a later date.

The three-time state champion was grateful for playing at St. Joseph and will miss playing tennis for the Bloodhounds.

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HARLINGEN — The Sharyland High Rattlers tennis team is the last team standing in the Rio Grande Valley.

The Rattlers defeated the Harlingen South Hawks 10-5 in a Region IV-5A team tennis quarterfinal Monday at Harlingen South.

Harlingen South, the District 32-5A champion, and Sharyland High, the District 31-5A champ, met before district. The Rattlers won that match as well, but the Hawks were as tough then as they were Monday, Sharyland High co-head coach Mike Salinas said.

“I think they came together,” Salinas said about his team. “There was a lot of tiebreakers that went our way, and they just came out and played competitive.”

Sharyland High went up 5-2 after doubles. The Rattlers won two tiebreakers in doubles to give them the three-point advantage headed into singles.

The Rattlers’ girls won every match they had before reaching the 10-point threshold, going 7-0. Sharyland High also won the mixed doubles match.

Alamo Heights will be Sharyland High’s opponent in the fourth round after they defeated Cedar Park on Monday. Alamo Heights defeated Sharyland High the past two seasons in the fourth round, also in 2018.

“Last year, even though the score did not reflect it, it was the most competitive year against them. It is just, our depth needs to match their depth.”

Harlingen South’s boys went 5-2 and boast returning state qualifiers and others with regional tournament experience for the upcoming individual season.

Harlingen South head coach Ernesto Escamilla was proud of how his team performed against a well-coached Rattlers squad in doubles and in singles.

“I couldn’t ask for anything else,” Escamilla said. “They competed hard, and my hearts goes out to my players, my seniors. They have been working so hard.”

Sharyland Pioneer was eliminated in a Region IV-5A quarterfinal Monday as well, losing to Corpus Christi Flour Bluff. The Diamondbacks, Hawks and Rattlers were the only teams to make it to the third round from the Valley in Class 6A, 5A and 4A.

The focus for the UIL tennis players now switches to the individual season.

PLAYOFFS

Brownsville Hanna, Edinburg High, Edinburg North and Harlingen High all won bi-district titles this season in Class 6A before losing in the area round.

Brownsville Veterans and Mission Veterans won bi-district titles, while Harlingen South and Sharyland Pioneer took home area championships in Class 5A.

Port Isabel, La Feria and Weslaco IDEA Pike won bi-district titles in Class 4A. La Feria had a bye after winning the District 32-4A title.

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HARLINGEN — Even though there was nothing on the line, but pride – like most Bird Bowls in all sports the past two seasons – yells after winning important points were common as two of the Valley’s best tennis programs met on Saturday.

It was Harlingen South that came out with bragging rights. The Hawks defeated the Cardinals 12-7 at Harlingen South High School with team tennis playoffs beginning this week and the pair competing on Tuesday in their respective Classifications.

“We battled with good energy,” Harlingen South head tennis coach Ernesto Escamilla said. “We fought to the very last point, everybody. I am very proud of my guys team they came in strong from the very first ball.”

The Hawks returned Ethan Carter and Diego Garcia, one of the best doubles team in Class 5A – the pair qualified for state last season and started the Bird Bowl off strong with a win.

Harlingen South had the boys and Harlingen High had the girls this season.

“I have a very young girls team,” Escamilla said. “But, man they can fight and they stayed in the fight, everybody. That is all I ask for, you never want to coach effort … They brought every ounce of fight that they can get and it shows.”

The Cardinal girls have one of the best teams in the Valley. Olivia Villarreal, Naomi Macmanus, Julia Percy, Ashlynn Burns, Alexis Telles and Avery Loya helped Harlingen High sweep doubles. Villarreal, Macmanus, Percy and Telles won single matches.

Harlingen High head coach James Tanamachi is pleased with the team’s performance at the Bird Bowl and the season in general despite losing a number of players from the previous season.

“I thought it would be tough to win a boy’s district title with only two returning seniors, but they did really well and only lost two matches all season. The sophomores really came through, this is a great learning experience for them.”

“Our girls, of course, have been solid the last two years, I am happy our seniors at least get to finish with the girls winning seven matches against South,” Tanamachi said.

Harlingen South meets McAllen High on Tuesday, while Harlingen High faces Edinburg Economedes.

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