No. 6 Aggies upend No. 20 Mississippi State, 4-0, reach SEC Final
COLLEGE STATION - Last year at around this time, the Texas A&M men's tennis team was on its way to the SEC Tournament finals after a comfortable win over a ranked Kentucky squad.
Not much has changed in the 364 days since.
The Aggies are still a formidable group, and they'll be heading back to the finals after an easy, 4-0, win over No. 20 Mississippi State on Saturday. With the win, the Ags improved to 19-4 on the season, a mark even better than last year's at the same time.
As has been the case for most of the season, Texas A&M relied on the veteran duo of Harrison Adams and Shane Vinsant during doubles play, and the 11th-ranked pair did not disappoint.
Playing the Bulldogs' Florian Lakat and Julian Cash, ranked No.7 nationally, the two juniors appeared to have their work cut out for them. Instead, they won five straight games early in the match and didn't let the Bulldogs come up for air.
In their fifth win over a top-10 opponent this season, Adams and Vinsant breezed through an easy 6-2 victory. A few minutes later, Arthur Rinderknech and A.J. Catanzariti won a closely contested match, 7-6, in a tiebreak to clinch the doubles point for the Maroon and White.
Up 1-0, Texas A&M's focus shifted to singles and its bevy of talented freshman.
Rinderknech was the first off the court. After going up 3-0 early in the first set, his opponent, Mate Cutura, fell down trying to run down a ball. Though he tried to play through a twisted ankle, Cutura eventually retired midway through the second frame.
Rinderknech won the match, 6-0, 3-0 (ret.), and although he didn't finish it, his performance was not lost on Head Coach Steve Denton.
"I though Arthur played as well as he's played all season," he said. "I thought he hit the ball extremely well and was really aggressive when he needed to be."
Another freshman was the next to lock up a point for the Ags. Though he was down early in the first set, A.J. Catanzariti battled back to win it in a tiebreak, 7-6. The Pennsylvania native capitalized on that momentum in the second set, taking it 6-1 to close things out on court five.
Needing just one more win, Texas A&M looked to yet another youngster to send them back to the finals. Jordi Arconada got off to a quick start, but fizzled in his second set, leading to a 6-3, 4-6 split.
Showing poise beyond his years, Arconada regrouped and attacked his opponent in the third. Three breaks and three holds later, the freshman had won the final frame 6-0 and punched the Ags' ticket to the finals on Sunday. They won't be resting on their laurels, however.
"We'll be ready to play whoever it is," Denton said. "We're going to have to play a really good match if we're going to win this tournament. We're the defending champions, and they've got to take it away from us."
Texas A&M will play in the SEC Tournament Final at noon tomorrow against the winner of today's match between Ole Miss and Georgia.
Not much has changed in the 364 days since.
The Aggies are still a formidable group, and they'll be heading back to the finals after an easy, 4-0, win over No. 20 Mississippi State on Saturday. With the win, the Ags improved to 19-4 on the season, a mark even better than last year's at the same time.
As has been the case for most of the season, Texas A&M relied on the veteran duo of Harrison Adams and Shane Vinsant during doubles play, and the 11th-ranked pair did not disappoint.
Playing the Bulldogs' Florian Lakat and Julian Cash, ranked No.7 nationally, the two juniors appeared to have their work cut out for them. Instead, they won five straight games early in the match and didn't let the Bulldogs come up for air.
In their fifth win over a top-10 opponent this season, Adams and Vinsant breezed through an easy 6-2 victory. A few minutes later, Arthur Rinderknech and A.J. Catanzariti won a closely contested match, 7-6, in a tiebreak to clinch the doubles point for the Maroon and White.
Up 1-0, Texas A&M's focus shifted to singles and its bevy of talented freshman.
Rinderknech was the first off the court. After going up 3-0 early in the first set, his opponent, Mate Cutura, fell down trying to run down a ball. Though he tried to play through a twisted ankle, Cutura eventually retired midway through the second frame.
Rinderknech won the match, 6-0, 3-0 (ret.), and although he didn't finish it, his performance was not lost on Head Coach Steve Denton.
"I though Arthur played as well as he's played all season," he said. "I thought he hit the ball extremely well and was really aggressive when he needed to be."
Another freshman was the next to lock up a point for the Ags. Though he was down early in the first set, A.J. Catanzariti battled back to win it in a tiebreak, 7-6. The Pennsylvania native capitalized on that momentum in the second set, taking it 6-1 to close things out on court five.
Needing just one more win, Texas A&M looked to yet another youngster to send them back to the finals. Jordi Arconada got off to a quick start, but fizzled in his second set, leading to a 6-3, 4-6 split.
Showing poise beyond his years, Arconada regrouped and attacked his opponent in the third. Three breaks and three holds later, the freshman had won the final frame 6-0 and punched the Ags' ticket to the finals on Sunday. They won't be resting on their laurels, however.
"We'll be ready to play whoever it is," Denton said. "We're going to have to play a really good match if we're going to win this tournament. We're the defending champions, and they've got to take it away from us."
Texas A&M will play in the SEC Tournament Final at noon tomorrow against the winner of today's match between Ole Miss and Georgia.
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