RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The Western Athletic Conference (WAC) announced on Tuesday that The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros men’s tennis senior Emilien Burnel and junior Sam Whitehead have been named the TicketSmarter WAC Men’s Tennis Doubles Players of the Week. 
 
Burnel and Whitehead went 1-1 in the No. 1 doubles spot last week. On Wednesday, they picked up a massive 6-3 win over UTSA’s top duo of Alan Magadan and Tomas Pinho. Burnel/Whitehead played fast, aggressive tennis right out of the gate to quickly gain control of the match. Three days later, Magadan/Pinho defeated Texas’ top team, and the No. 3 doubles pair in the nation, of Eliot Spizzirri/Cleeve Harper. 
 
Burnel/Whitehead competed well but fell 6-1 Sunday to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi’s Etienne Marty/Avery Zavala. The Vaqueros duo is 2-4 on the year, all at No. 1. This is the third WAC recognition for the pair. They were the Doubles Players of the Month for October 2023 in the fall, and the Doubles Players of the Week last season on Jan. 24, 2023. 
 
UTRGV heads to Lafayette this weekend for the Louisiana Winter Classic. The Vaqueros (3-4) will open the tournament against Tyler Junior College on Friday at 8:30 a.m. 

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