Texas A&M
ITA Regionals
Pollock and Bain Edged In Singles Final at ITA Regionals
Oct 23, 2007 | Men's Tennis
October 23, 2007
Texas A&M?™s Conor Pollock (San Antonio, Texas) and Matt Bain (Georgetown, Texas) were edged in the singles main draw on the final day of the ITA South Central Regional Championship held Tuesday at the Penick-Allison Tennis Center.
After balancing two tournaments in a week?™s time, Pollock went the distance and reached the regional singles final for the first time of his A&M career. He later lost to fifth-seeded Denes Lukacs of Baylor, 6-4, 6-4. Two days prior to the ITA Regionals, Pollock fell to Australian Carsten Ball in the round of 16 at the 2007 USTA Mansfield Futures Tournament in Mansfield, Texas.
Still, Pollock?™s endurance paid off as he earned his first-ever berth to the ITA National Indoor Championship to be played on Nov. 1-4 in Columbus, Ohio. He will be among the top 32 singles players from each region to compete for one of college tennis?™ most-coveted title. Pollock is currently ranked No. 37 nationally in the preseason ITA/FILA Collegiate Tennis Rankings.
?Conor played really well this weekend,? Texas A&M head coach Steve Denton said. ?He reached the singles final and now has a chance to play at the ITA National Indoors against a quality field. He overcame some adversity by winning two matches despite really tough playing conditions yesterday. He even battled through some three-set matches which goes to show why he is one of the best players in the country right now.?
Senior Matt Bain (Georgetown, Texas) also found success with a spot in Tuesday?™s consolation singles final. After dropping straight sets to ninth-seeded Piotr Banas of Louisiana-Lafayette in Saturday?™s round of 64, Bain bounced back with four-straight match victories in consolation play. His run was later cut short by Baylor?™s Attila Bucko, 7-6, 6-3, in the consolation finals.
?Matt got better every single time,? Denton said. ?He hit the ball and played very well throughout the course of the tournament. He picked his game up (after the round of 64 loss) and played some of the best tennis I?™ve seen him play at A&M. Conor and Matt?™s success is truly a testament to their hardwork off the court. They are both extremely fit and are durable enough to play a lot of matches. I am very pleased with the progress we saw this weekend in Austin.?
Pollock moves on to the ITA Indoors next week in Columbus, Ohio, while the Aggies close out fall tournament play at the University of Texas Invitational on Nov. 2-4 in Austin, Texas.
2007 ITA SOUTH CENTRAL REGIONAL MEN?™S TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIP
Oct. 20-23, 2007
Penick-Allison Tennis Center
at Austin, Texas
SINGLES
Finals
(5) Denes Lukacs (Baylor) def. (4) Conor Pollock (Texas A&M), 6-4, 6-4.
Consolation Finals
Attila Bucko (Baylor) def. Matt Bain (Texas A&M), 7-6, 6-3.
Consolation Semifinals
Matt Bain (Texas A&M) def. (9) Ilya Babinciuc (Texas Tech), 6-4, 6-3.
