COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS — The No. 22 Texas A&M men's tennis team hosts Lamar and Tulsa Tuesday at the George P. Mitchell Tennis Center with first serve set for noon (CT) against the Cardinals and 6 p.m. against the Gold Hurricane.
“With our lack of matches over the past couple of weeks, this is another great opportunity for our whole team to compete,” Texas A&M head coach Steve Denton said. “We love the opportunity that these doubleheaders give us to challenge our entire roster. Our whole team is working so hard, it is great to see all of our guys get a chance to contribute. We need to take this opportunity to get better as it is our last chance to prepare the team for the rigors of the SEC.”
The Maroon & White return to the courts after defeating Arizona State, 5-2, Friday at the Hawkins Tennis Center in Waco, Texas as rain in College Station forced the move indoors. After earning a competitive doubles point the Aggies earned singles wins by freshman Noah Schachter and sophomores Hady Habib, Carlos Aguilar and Barnaby Smith.
Texas A&M boasts four student-athletes in this week’s Oracle/ITA Division I Men's Top 125 National Singles Rankings. Junior Valentin Vacherot re-entered the rankings at No. 47 this week to lead the charge for the Maroon & White. Joining Vacherot in the Top 125 are No. 66 Barnaby Smith, No. 105 Austin Abbrat and No. 121 Carlos Aguilar.
Smith, from High Wycombe, Great Britain, is a perfect 5-0 this spring and is riding a six match win streak. Abbrat, a freshman from Spring, Texas, has won six of his last seven matches. Aguilar, from La Paz, Bolivia, has earned four wins on the top two courts this spring.
The Aggies lead the all-time series against the Cardinals, 12-0, after winning the most recent match up 4-0 in last season’s NCAA Championship first round. A&M holds a 19-3 advantage against Tulsa after topping the Gold Hurricane, 7-0, a year ago on the road.
Tuesday’s matches are the final tune up for the Aggies before opening conference play on Friday at Auburn and Sunday at Alabama.
