For Immediate Release: Friday, January 24, 2003
Contact: Dave Geringer, UTPA Sports Information Director, (956) 381-2240

UTPA TENNIS TEAMS SET FOR ACTION

EDINBURG, TX-With one match already under their belt, The University of Texas-Pan American women's tennis team will return to action this weekend when they travel to Beaumont and Houston for three matches. The men's tennis team will travel to Texas A&M to begin their season.

The Lady Broncs will take an 0-1 record into their matches against Alcorn State and Lamar in Beaumont, and against the University of Houston in Houston. The Broncs will play Trinity and 13th-ranked Texas A&M Saturday, with both matches scheduled for the Aggies' campus in College Station.

"I'm pretty excited about the weekend," said UTPA Head Coach Todd Chapman. "Our women have the opportunity to play against several teams that we are evenly matched with. I'm excited to see how we're going to do against Alcorn State and Lamar. Houston is a little bit better, but, even though it's a tougher match, I don't look at that as a negative, because it's a chance to improve and learn about yourself. The three matches will be physically tough, but it's a good mental challenge. I think we'll be competitive in all of the matches."

The Broncs will face Trinity before playing Texas A&M. "Year in and year out, Trinity is one of the top Division III teams in the nation," said Chapman. "It should be a good opening match for us. We're excited about the opportunity to play the number 13 team in the nation in Texas A&M, we're going to play hard, have fun, and see what happens. We have the opportunity to be successful, and we really have nothing to lose."

After this weekend's action, both teams will be idle until they travel to El Paso and Las Cruces, New Mexico in two weeks. Next Saturday's scheduled home openers against St. Mary's have been rescheduled for February 12th.


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