April 22, 2011
STATE FARM LONE STAR SHOWDOWN:Â The 2011 men's tennis edition of the State Farm Lone Star Showdown will take place on Saturday, Apr. 23 at 1 p.m. at the George P. Mitchell Tennis Center in College Station. Texas A&M, ranked No. 6 in the latest ITA poll, enters the match with a 23-5 overall record and a 4-1 mark in Big 12 play. Texas, ranked No. 12, enters the match with a 17-6 overall mark and a 3-2 ledger in league play.
12th MAN DAY: The Saturday match against Texas will also be 12th Man Day with all Texas A&M students admitted free by showing their student ID card. The first 200 fans will receive free Pizza Hut pizzas upon entrance into the George P. Mitchell Tennis Center.
SENIOR DAY: Â The four Aggie senior tennis players will play their last regular season home match at the Mitchell Tennis Center and have done a tremendous job of keeping the Aggie tennis program heading up the national rankings. Led at the top of the lineup by captain and All-American Austin Krajicek from Brandon, Florida, along with his doubles teammate senior All-American Jeff Dadamo from Tampa, Florida. The terrific duo has played No. 1 doubles and Krajicek has held down the top spot in singles while Dadamo has been entrenched at the No. 2 slot. Senior Alexey Grigorov from Moscow, Russia, has played singles at the No. 3 and No. 4 lines and with his doubles freshman partner Junior Ore has given the Aggies' great production at No. 2 doubles. Senior Kayvon Karimi from Dallas, Texas, broke into the Aggie lineup as a true freshman playing at the No. 5 and No. 6 lines. Earlier this year, Karimi played at No. 5 against UT-Pan American and yielded only three points.
COACH Steve Denton ON THE AGGIE SENIORS: Aggie head coach Steve Denton is in his fifth season at the helm of the Texas A&M men's tennis program and he had this to say about this 2011 Senior Class:
"I get a lump in my throat when I think about what these four seniors have meant to Aggie tennis as they have thrust us to national prominence. I consider all four of these young men as sons. They are a very special group and whatever the future holds for them, I know they will be successful.
What I admire most about Kayvon Karimi is his passion for tennis and his perseverance over his career in Aggieland. He didn't get to play as much as he wanted, but he found other ways to make major contributions to the team. He is tremendously popular among his teammates. He has grown up before our eyes and I am very proud of him.
Alexey Grigorov, Mr. Clutch, has won so many big matches for the Aggies in his career. He has put his mark on Aggie tennis for years to come as he loved the big stage. His love-hate relationship with the sport is legendary around Aggieland. A tremendous talent that can do anything with a tennis ball, he is also tremendously popular with his teammates. He is affectionately known as `Griggy' and he will be sorely missed.
Jeff Dadamo is probably the most talented ball striker that I have ever coached. He has had a tremendous impact on our team and has had a phenomenal senior year. He has continued to develop his game and has added additional weapons to his arsenal. He has bought into all the Aggie traditions in a short time and has been a tremendous asset to our team.
With Austin Krajicek, words can't adequately express just how much he has meant to the success of our program. Since day one, he has been the consummate professional and such a team leader. Since Coach (Bob) McKinley and I have been here, he has been the face of Aggie tennis. Austin is a great example of all that is good about college sports. The love and passion he has for the game of tennis is amazing. He will go down as one of, if not, the greatest Aggie tennis player in our school's history.
SENIOR CAPTAIN Conor Pollock's record of 91 wins. He has been named All-Big 12 every season in singles and doubles. He has reached as high as No. 6 in singles rankings and Krajicek, along with senior teammate Conor Pollock's to reach the semifinals in the NCAA Doubles Championships.
SENIOR Jeff Dadamo: This Florida native played two years for the University of Florida but transferred to A&M in 2009 and promptly was named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Year playing at the No. 2 line in singles and earned Co-Big 12 Champion at that line. An All-Big 12 and All-American in doubles with teammate Austin Krajicek, the dynamic duo has reached as high as No. 1 in doubles rankings and brought home the national championship at the 2010 USTA/ITA National Indoor Championship in Flushing, New York in November of 2010. Dadamo reached the round of 32 at the 2010 NCAA Singles Championships. In February of 2010, Dadamo beat Ed Corrie from Texas when the Longhorn was ranked No. 9 in the nation.
SENIOR Marcus Lunt and the duo reached No. 33 in the national rankings. Grigorov became the 18th all-time Aggie player to post 20 doubles victories in one season. The senior became the 30th Aggie to post at least 20 singles wins in a season with a 21-5 mark in 2009-10. At his best against nationally ranked opponents with a 3-1 record last spring in those matches. Among his victories was a three-set victory at the No. 3 line in the upset of eventual national champion USC last spring.
SENIOR Kayvon Karimi: This Dallas native broke into the Aggie lineup as a true freshman competing at the No. 5 and No. 6 lines. He clinched the Nebraska match that freshman year winning two tiebreakers to earn the straight sets victory. He reached the round of 32 in the prequalifying singles draw in the ITA All-American Tournament. He reached the round of 16 in the prequalifying singles draw at the 2009 D'Novo/ITA Men's All-American Championships in Tulsa. Earlier this spring in the UT-Pan American match, he posted a straight sets 6-4, 6-0 victory.
SCHOOL RECORD HOME WINNING STREAK ON THE LINE: Thanks to the senior leadership, the hard work by the entire Aggie tennis squad, and the 12th Man, Texas A&M has posted a school-record 33 straight home match winning streak. The last time A&M was outscored at the end of the match was Jan. 30, 2010 against Fresno State, 4-3.
NATIONAL ATTENDANCE LEADER: The 12th Man has been crucial to the Aggies' success. The crowd set a regular-season match attendance record with 1,093 attending the Mar. 10 match against No. 5 Ohio State, a 4-0 A&M victory. That figure was the top single-match attendance in America this spring. Some other top crowds include the 706 who watched A&M beat Texas Tech on Apr. 8 and a crowd of 523 against Illinois/Laredo C.C. on Mar. 12.
Top 10 Men's Crowds at the Mitchell Tennis Center
- 2,339             Georgia                                                         May 18, 2002
- 1,820             Baylor                                                            May 21, 2005
- 1,316             Ole Miss                                                        May 14, 2009
- 1,130             Texas                                                            Apr. 27, 2002
- 1,093             Ohio State                                                    Mar. 10, 2011
- 1,089             Texas Tech                                                  Apr. 3, 2009
- 1,030             Texas                                                            Apr. 23, 2005
- 1,022             Baylor                                                            Apr. 28, 2002
- 1,007             Texas                                                            Apr. 14, 2001
- 1,003             Texas Tech                                                  Apr. 9, 2005
BIG 12 STANDINGS: (As of Friday, Apr. 22)
School                                  Big 12                   Overall                 Big 12 Matches Remaining
Baylor                                  6-0                         19-3                      Finished Big 12 regular season
Texas A&MÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 4-1Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 23-5Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â vs. Texas
Texas                                   3-2                         17-6                      at A&M
Texas Tech                         2-3                         15-8                      at Nebraska
Oklahoma                          2-3                         13-6                      at Nebraska
Nebraska                            1-3                         15-9                      vs. OU; vs. TT
Oklahoma St.                    0-6                         5-13                      Finished Big 12 regular season
AGGIES LOOK TO TIE 3rd-BEST SEASON MARK: The 2011 edition of Texas A&M men's tennis has already won 23 matches and with a win on Saturday would tie for the third-best season record in school history. The 2010 edition posted a 25-7 dual record to earn second place on the all-time list and the all-time best mark was the 2001 squad with a 27-4 overall record.
MOST AGGIE TENNIS DUAL WINS IN A SEASON
27-4Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 2001
25-7Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 2010
24-6Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 2000
24-9Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 2004
24-10Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 1984
23-5Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 2011
23-4Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 1994
23-10Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 2003
COACH Steve Denton ON TEXAS MATCH:Â "Any time we play Texas, it is exciting and that especially holds true on Senior Day in Aggieland. This is an extremely important match for both teams as we position ourselves for the conference tournament next week and get our guys prepared for the upcoming NCAA Championships. I know our seniors want to play their best tennis in front of the 12th Man and want to continue our 33-match home winning streak. Since our 4-3 loss to Texas in February (in Houston), it will be interesting to see how much we have improved. I trust our 12th Man will be out in full force and get one last glimpse of some very special seniors who have once again put Aggie tennis in the national spotlight."
EARLIER THIS SPRING vs. TEXAS: These two tennis clubs met indoors on Feb. 4, 2011, at the Downtown Club at the Met in Houston with Texas winning, 4-3. Austin Krajicek and Jeff Dadamo edged Ed Corrie and Jean Andersen at No. 1 doubles, but Texas won the doubles point with 9-7 and 8-6 wins at No. 2 and No. 3 doubles respectively. A&M won five of the six first sets in singles, but could not pull out the win. A&M picked up wins at the top of the order with wins at No. 1 by Austin Krajicek over Ed Corrie, Jeff Dadamo over Kellen Damico at No. 2, and Alexis Klegou over Jean Andersen at the No. 3 line. The last three lines were all decided in three sets. Ben Chen edged Alexey Grigorov at No. 4, Vasko Mladenov slipped past Colin Hoover at No. 5 and Daniel Whitehead held off Alberto Bautista at No. 6.
CAN HISTORY REPEAT ITSELF?: In 2009, the Aggie senior tennis players were honored as Texas came to town on Apr. 16. Senior Conor Pollock clinched the match at No. 1 singles with a three-set victory as the Aggies won, 4-3. Texas won the doubles point and the Aggies came back with four wins in singles--No. 1 with Pollock, No. 2 with Austin Krajicek, No. 4 with Alexey Grigorov and No. 6 with Colin Hoover. Krajicek defeated Ed Corrie, 6-2, 6-2. Grigorov beat Miguel Reyes Varela in straight sets, 7-5, 6-3 and Hoover won in straight sets, 6-0, 6-1, over Josh Zavala. The Aggies look to snap a five match losing streak to the Horns.
CURRENT RANKINGS: The Aggies are the top-ranked Big 12 club in the latest ITA rankings at No. 6 with Baylor right behind at No. 7. The Texas Longhorns are No. 12 in the latest poll. In singles rankings, A&M's Austin Krajicek is ranked No. 19, Jeff Dadamo is at No. 40 and Alexis Klegou is ranked No. 94. For the Longhorns, Ed Corrie is ranked No. 33, Kellen Damico is ranked No. 49 and Jean Andersen is ranked No. 105. In doubles, A&M's senior All-American duo of Austin Krajicek and Jeff Dadamo are ranked No. 4 while Texas' Ed Corrie and Jean Andersen are No. 8. A&M's doubles team of senior Alexey Grigorov and freshman Junior Ore are ranked No. 48 while Kellen Damico and David Holiner from Texas are ranked No. 50. The No. 3 A&M doubles team of Alberto Bautista and Colin Hoover are ranked No. 68 while Texas' duo of Ben Chen and Daniel Whitehead are No. 86.