March 26, 2009
COLLEGE STATION, Texas - The 14th-ranked Texas A&M men's tennis team will open up Big 12 Conference play this weekend in the Sooner State.
Riding a three-match winning streak with a pair of victories over No. 10 USC on March 19 and LSU on March 21, the Aggies (8-5) moved up one spot in the latest Campbell/ITA College Tennis Team Rankings released on Tuesday.
A&M will first travel to No. 41 Oklahoma (9-5) for a Friday, March 27 dual match scheduled for 6 p.m. (CT) at the Headington Family Tennis Center in Norman, Okla. Play will move indoors to the Gregg Wadley Indoor Tennis Pavilion if weather permits. Live statistics for the match will be available on www.soonersports.com.
"We had a close 4-3 match against them last year," Texas A&M head coach Steve Denton said. "They've had good results this season and are a scrappy, tough team. The match will also be an opportunity for us to get familiar with their courts, before we go back up there for the Big 12 Championship at the end of April. This weekend is mainly about us. We had a great run at home last week against USC and LSU. We are trying to carry that momentum into these two road matches and hopefully, get some good wins."
The Aggies will continue on their Big 12 opening weekend with No. 29 Oklahoma State (7-3) on Sunday, March 29 at 2 p.m. (CT) at the DeBois Tennis Complex in Stillwater, Okla. With the threat of inclement weather, the venue and time may change to accommodate indoor play and team travel. The Cowboys have won the last six-straight meetings between the two schools.
A&M currently boasts three of the nation's top 55 players in 16th-ranked Conor Pollock (San Antonio, Texas), 30th-ranked Wil Spencer (Ponce de Leon, Fla.) and 52nd-ranked Austin Krajicek (Brandon, Fla.) who is the reigning Big 12 Player of the Week with a team-leading 9-4 dual match record at No. 2 singles.
"They have one of the best players in the country in (second-ranked) Oleksandr Nedovyesov who we've never been able to beat," Denton said. "I know Conor is looking forward to playing him. They are a really good doubles team and it is going to be a good, tough match for us. This OSU team has stayed within the 20-25 ranking all year long. It is important that we get off to a fast start in Big 12 Conference play this season. One of our team goals is to do well in the Big 12 and this weekend will give us an opportunity to work on exceeding those team goals."
State Farm Lone Star Showdown Time and Date Change...Texas A&M's State Farm Lone Star Showdown match with rival Texas will now take place on Thursday, April 16 at 6 p.m. (CT) in College Station.
Catch The Coach Denton Radio Show On Mondays...Listen to the Steve Denton Radio Show live every Monday at 4:15 p.m. (CT) on Chip Howard's SportsTalk broadcast live on KZNE 1150 AM The Zone in College Station. Denton joins Chip Howard for the only college tennis coach's radio show in the nation. Each week, the duo will recap and preview matches for the nationally-ranked Aggies. The weekly radio show airs every Monday from February through the NCAA Championships and can also be heard worldwide on the Internet at: www.KZNE.com.