Texas A&M
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Mississippi State
Aggies Leash Bulldogs Win Third Straight SEC Match
Mar 20, 2015 | Men's Tennis
COLLEGE STATION – The No. 7 Texas A&M men's tennis team showcased its talented and deep roster defeating No. 35 Mississippi State 4-1 at the AJ Pitts Tennis Centre Friday evening in Starkville. The Aggies (10-3, 5-1 SEC) maintained a stronghold on second place in the SEC with the victory, while the Bulldogs (12-5, 3-2) fell back to fifth place in the league standings.
For just the second time this spring the Aggies found themselves in a 1-0 deficit at the conclusion of doubles play. A&M's stellar freshman doubles team of AJ Catanzariti and Arthur Rinderknech faltered for the first time in a dual match, the frosh duo was bested by Juan Cruz Estevarena and Robin Haden 6-3 on doubles court three. The match's first point was clinched by 46th-ranked Julian Cash and Florian Lakat over No. 9 Harrison Adams and Shane Vinsant on court one.
Despite finding themselves in a hole, the Aggies maintained their composure winning the first set on three of six courts. All three Aggies that dropped their first set forced a decisive third-set.
Senior Jeremy Efferding pulled the scored even at one apiece, winning in straight sets over Estevarena on court two. The Floridian, ranked 65th in the latest ITA poll, bested his counterpart 6-2, 6-3 moving to 4-0 against league opponents and 8-2 this spring.
Catanzariti atoned for his defeat in doubles play pushing A&M ahead 2-1 defeating No. 105 Schmid's on court three. The Pennsylvanian, ranked 89th, bounced back from dropping the first set winning 12 of the next 15 games including a domination 6-0 score line in the final stanza. Catanzariti improved to 5-1 in SEC action and 9-3 in duals.
No. 71 Vinsant pushed the Bulldogs to the brink outlasting No. 112 Lakat on the match's first court. The Aggie ace came out on top of a first set tiebreaker before dropping the middle set 4-6, when push came to shove the Keller native rallied to win 6-3 in the final set. The All-American from a year ago won his second match on both court one and in the SEC on Friday night.
The clinch victory came all the way on the other end of the A&M lineup, proving yet again that the Aggies are one of the deepest teams in the country. Sophomore Max Lunkin sealed the win for his team with the third three-set point for the victors clad in maroon and white. The Russian outlasted Cash after dropping a first-set tiebreaker winning with a 7-5 score line in both sets two and three.
A&M will remain on the road for a Sunday matchup with the No. 60 Alabama Crimson Tide Sunday at noon, the match was moved up an hour with rain in the forecast for Tuscaloosa.
Visit 12thMan.com for more information on Texas A&M men's tennis. Aggie fans also can keep up to date with the A&M men's tennis team on Twitter by following @AggieMTEN or on Facebook at Facebook.com/AggieMensTennis.
#7 Texas A&M 4, #35 Mississippi State 1
Singles - Order of finish (2, 4, 1, 6)
1. #71 Shane Vinsant (TAMU) def. #112 Florian Lakat (MSU) 7-6 (8-6), 4-6, 6-3
2. #65 Jeremy Efferding (TAMU) def. Juan Cruz Estevarena (MSU) 6-2, 6-3
3. Mate Cutura (MSU) vs. Arthur Rinderknech (TAMU) 7-5, 5-7, 6-5, unfinished
4. #89 AJ Catanzariti (TAMU) def. #105 Tassilo Schmid (MSU) 4-6, 6-3, 6-0
5. Rishab Agarwal (MSU) vs. Jordi Arconada (TAMU) 4-6, 6-4, 6-6 (8-7), unfinished
6. Max Lunkin (TAMU) def. Julian Cash (MSU) 6-7 (4-7), 7-5, 7-5
Doubles - Order of finish (3, 1)
1. #46 Julian Cash/Florian Lakat (MSU) def. #9 Harrison Adams/Shane Vinsant (TAMU) 6-4
2. Mate Cutura/Tassilo Schmid (MSU) vs. #26 Jeremy Efferding/Jordan Szabo (TAMU) 5-4, unfinished
3. Juan Cruz Estevarena/Robin Haden (MSU) def. AJ Catanzariti/Arthur Rinderknech 6-3
Players Mentioned
