April 13, 2010
COLLEGE STATION, Texas - The Texas A&M men's tennis team moved up three spots to No. 9 in the latest Campbell/Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) rankings released on Tuesday.
It marked the program's first top 10 national ranking under fourth-year head coach Steve Denton and assistant coach Bob McKinley and first since being ranked No. 10 on March 15, 2005.
The Aggies (20-4, 5-0) are currently on the second-longest winning streak in school history at 13-straight matches and will face third-ranked Texas (21-2, 4-0) with state bragging rights on the line for the State Farm Lone Star Showdown trophy as well as a chance to capture A&M's first Big 12 Conference regular-season title since 2001 on Saturday, April 17 at 4 p.m. (CT) in Austin, Texas.
Individually, junior All-American Austin Krajicek (Brandon, Fla.) climbed three spots to No. 5 nationally in singles. It marked a career-best ranking for the 19-year-old left-hander who has compiled a 16-3 dual record with 13 of those victories over ranked competition this spring.
Krajicek becomes one of only three A&M players in the last decade to be ranked in the top 5 next to four-time All-American Shuon Madden (1998-01), who was ranked No. 2 in 2001, and two-time All-American Jerry Makowski (2005-07), who was ranked No. 5 in 2006. He was joined by junior Jeff Dadamo (Tampa, Fla.) at No. 35 and sophomore Alexis Klegou (Dunkerque, France) at No. 112.
Dadamo and Krajicek also moved one spot to a career-best No. 4 nationally in doubles, while senior co-captain Marcus Lunt (San Antonio, Texas) and junior Conor Pollock (San Antonio, Texas) last season.
CAMPBELL/ITA MEN'S TENNIS RANKINGS
1. Virginia
2. Tennessee
3. Texas
4. USC
5. Ohio State
6. Florida
7. Stanford
8. Kentucky
9. Texas A&M
10. Georgia
11. Baylor
12. UCLA
13. California
14. Duke
15. Louisville
16. Texas Tech
17. Illinois
18. Mississippi
19. North Carolina
20. Oklahoma
21. Virginia Tech
22. Pepperdine
23. Wake Forest
24. Washington
25. Michigan