Steve Denton
Jeremy Efferding
No. 6 Texas A&M topples No. 5 Georgia for second straight SEC title
COLLEGE STATION - Most fans at the Mitchell Tennis Center thought it was almost over, but the weather had other ideas.
As Texas A&M's match with the Georgia Bulldogs drew to a close, the heavens opened and the rain came down, delaying the inevitable. Georgia was about to claim its 28th SEC title in men's tennis.
The Aggies had other ideas.
After a hard-fought match and a lengthy rain delay, the Texas A&M men's tennis team pulled out a 4-2 over the top-5 Bulldogs, securing its second consecutive SEC Tournament Championship.
Coming off of spotless victories against LSU and Mississippi State, the Aggies kept rolling into their match with Georgia, taking the doubles point early in the day.
Though Shane Vinsant and Harrison Adams had their hands full with the nation's top-ranked tandem, the other two Aggie pairs picked up the slack. Freshman A.J. Catanzariti and Arthur Rinderknech were the first off the court, holding serve to finish off a 6-3 victory on court five.
Jeremy Efferding and Jordan Szabo did the same a few minutes later. One court over from the youngsters, the veterans pulled off their own 6-3 win, drawing first blood by putting the Aggies up 1-0.
The doubles point was made even more important by Georgia's stable of highly-ranked singles players. With three players ranked in the top-30 nationally, the Bulldogs' formidable line-up would pose a stiff test for Texas A&M.
Georgia began proving it quickly as Ben Wagland took down Aggie Harrison Adams on court four 6-2, 6-3, and evened the team match at one point apiece. The tie didn't last long, however, as Catanzariti pushed the Aggies back in front with a 6-3, 6-4, victory at line five.
His partner, Rinderknech, was next in line. With a 6-4, 6-4, win over the nation's 26th-ranked player, Nathan Pasha, on court three, the freshman from France put Texas A&M within reach of its second straight SEC title.
Jordi Arconada was the next Aggie to fall. After holding substantial leads in both of the first two sets, the freshman crumbled, eventually dropping his match 5-7, 5-7. Clinging to a 3-2 lead, Texas A&M's gaze turned to the top two courts and veterans Efferding and Vinsant.
Locked in tight matches from the get-go, both Aggies fought tooth and nail to stay in the match, but each found themselves down in the third set. Vinsant, cramping, fell behind 3-5 in the final frame while Efferding was down 4-5 and needed to hold serve to stay in it.
It looked like Texas A&M would come up just short after jumping out to an early lead. Both of the Maroon and White's top two players were flagging, and Georgia was moving in for the kill.
Then it started raining.
Moments before the Bulldogs closed out their trip to College Station, the lightening alarm sounded, and the players were told to leave the court. For the next two hours, the players huddled in the locker room, getting treatment from the trainers and waiting to finish the match.
Coming back out, Efferding and Vinsant were still in a precarious position, but they looked like new men. Rejuvenated and rested, the Ags took it to Georgia with renewed vigor. Vinsant held serve, then broke his opponent's and held again, taking a 6-5 lead.
He wouldn't get a chance to finish though, as Jeremy Efferding followed his pattern, allowing his big serve to lead him to three straight wins and an SEC Championship. Together, both Aggies went 6-0 after the rain delay, and Efferding won 6-4, 6-7, 7-5.
Efferding was ecstatic after the match, but made sure to praise his teammates for putting him in a good postition.
"It feels great. Just a lot of hard work coming and paying off," he said. "It's a real honor to be the MVP, but I can't take that away from the whole team. Anyone could have been out there in that position."
Texas A&M claimed its third SEC men's tennis title in school history and possibly a top-4 seed at the upcoming NCAA Tournament. Head Coach Steve Denton was worried until the end, but was proud of his guys.
"This one feels as good as the first. Our guys competed their tails off today against a great Georgia team. It started out well for us in the doubles; we got a good start. It looked like we could win 4-0, and then all of a sudden it looked like we weren't going to win," he said.
Then he smiled and added, "Then the rains came, and our guys were unbelievable the last twenty minutes."
With the NCAA Tournament in three weeks, there will be 63 teams gunning to take down the SEC Champions. You can bet the Aggies will have other ideas.
As Texas A&M's match with the Georgia Bulldogs drew to a close, the heavens opened and the rain came down, delaying the inevitable. Georgia was about to claim its 28th SEC title in men's tennis.
The Aggies had other ideas.
After a hard-fought match and a lengthy rain delay, the Texas A&M men's tennis team pulled out a 4-2 over the top-5 Bulldogs, securing its second consecutive SEC Tournament Championship.
Coming off of spotless victories against LSU and Mississippi State, the Aggies kept rolling into their match with Georgia, taking the doubles point early in the day.
Though Shane Vinsant and Harrison Adams had their hands full with the nation's top-ranked tandem, the other two Aggie pairs picked up the slack. Freshman A.J. Catanzariti and Arthur Rinderknech were the first off the court, holding serve to finish off a 6-3 victory on court five.
Jeremy Efferding and Jordan Szabo did the same a few minutes later. One court over from the youngsters, the veterans pulled off their own 6-3 win, drawing first blood by putting the Aggies up 1-0.
The doubles point was made even more important by Georgia's stable of highly-ranked singles players. With three players ranked in the top-30 nationally, the Bulldogs' formidable line-up would pose a stiff test for Texas A&M.
Georgia began proving it quickly as Ben Wagland took down Aggie Harrison Adams on court four 6-2, 6-3, and evened the team match at one point apiece. The tie didn't last long, however, as Catanzariti pushed the Aggies back in front with a 6-3, 6-4, victory at line five.
His partner, Rinderknech, was next in line. With a 6-4, 6-4, win over the nation's 26th-ranked player, Nathan Pasha, on court three, the freshman from France put Texas A&M within reach of its second straight SEC title.
Jordi Arconada was the next Aggie to fall. After holding substantial leads in both of the first two sets, the freshman crumbled, eventually dropping his match 5-7, 5-7. Clinging to a 3-2 lead, Texas A&M's gaze turned to the top two courts and veterans Efferding and Vinsant.
Locked in tight matches from the get-go, both Aggies fought tooth and nail to stay in the match, but each found themselves down in the third set. Vinsant, cramping, fell behind 3-5 in the final frame while Efferding was down 4-5 and needed to hold serve to stay in it.
It looked like Texas A&M would come up just short after jumping out to an early lead. Both of the Maroon and White's top two players were flagging, and Georgia was moving in for the kill.
Then it started raining.
Moments before the Bulldogs closed out their trip to College Station, the lightening alarm sounded, and the players were told to leave the court. For the next two hours, the players huddled in the locker room, getting treatment from the trainers and waiting to finish the match.
Coming back out, Efferding and Vinsant were still in a precarious position, but they looked like new men. Rejuvenated and rested, the Ags took it to Georgia with renewed vigor. Vinsant held serve, then broke his opponent's and held again, taking a 6-5 lead.
He wouldn't get a chance to finish though, as Jeremy Efferding followed his pattern, allowing his big serve to lead him to three straight wins and an SEC Championship. Together, both Aggies went 6-0 after the rain delay, and Efferding won 6-4, 6-7, 7-5.
Efferding was ecstatic after the match, but made sure to praise his teammates for putting him in a good postition.
"It feels great. Just a lot of hard work coming and paying off," he said. "It's a real honor to be the MVP, but I can't take that away from the whole team. Anyone could have been out there in that position."
Texas A&M claimed its third SEC men's tennis title in school history and possibly a top-4 seed at the upcoming NCAA Tournament. Head Coach Steve Denton was worried until the end, but was proud of his guys.
"This one feels as good as the first. Our guys competed their tails off today against a great Georgia team. It started out well for us in the doubles; we got a good start. It looked like we could win 4-0, and then all of a sudden it looked like we weren't going to win," he said.
Then he smiled and added, "Then the rains came, and our guys were unbelievable the last twenty minutes."
With the NCAA Tournament in three weeks, there will be 63 teams gunning to take down the SEC Champions. You can bet the Aggies will have other ideas.
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