COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Texas A&M's 4th-ranked men's tennis team is set to travel to Waco to take on No. 5 Baylor at the Hawkins Indoor Tennis Center Wednesday evening at 6 p.m.
Setting the Scene
The Aggies (4-0) look stay hot as they put their four-match winning streak on the line at the Battle of the Brazos. Baylor (5-0) counters with a five-match win streak if its own.
Players in the ITA Rankings
Texas A&M enters the match with a pair of ranked singles players, led by No. 5 Arthur Rinderknech. Rinderknech earned the highest initial spring ranking for an Aggie on record, additionally he is the highest-ranked player in the SEC. The Frenchman stands at 15-2 this year, including four wins over ranked opponents, his only two losses were against the currently ranked No. 2 and No. 3 players.
Senior Shane Vinsant brings a No. 29 ranking into the midweek matchup. The Keller native is currently 9-4 on the season, including a perfect 2-0 dual record. Vinsant has earned All-SEC recognition each of the last two seasons, along with the 2014 SEC Tournament MVP honors. A season ago Vinsant was named an All-American alongside classmate Harrison Adams after earning a final No. 10 ranking in the doubles poll.
In addition to the two ranked singles players, the Aggies enlist a pair of ranked doubles teams in the initial spring rankings. No. 12 Rinderknech and Vinsant and the 29th ranked pair of Jordi Arconada and Max Lunkin. Arconada and Lunkin are 5-1 this season, with a 2-0 dual record and one win over a ranked doubles team under their belt.
Baylor enlists one ranked player for the Battle of the Brazos, No. 59 Maxime Tchoutakian. The junior was the 2015 Big 12 Newcomer of the Year and enters Wednesday's match at 8-3 this season.
Last Time Out
The then-No. 5 Texas A&M men's tennis team defeated Boise State 4-0 at the George P. Mitchell Tennis Center on Jan. 24, 2016. With the win, the Aggies advanced to the ITA National Team Indoor Championships to be held Feb. 12-15 at the Boar's Head Sports Club in Charlottesville, Va.
The Aggies opened the day capturing the doubles point for the fourth consecutive match, returning All-Americans Adams and Vinsant made their first appearance alongside each other this season. The duo were knotted at 3-3 on the first court against Toby Mitchell and Kyle Butters when the doubles point was clinched.
Senior Jackson Withrow and Rinderknech continued their hot-streak to open the spring season, the pair moved to 3-0 on the year as they defeated Lewis Roskilly and Brian Foley 6-1 on court two. Arconada and Lunkin proved their mettle, winning 6-2 over Pedro Platzeck and Abe Hewko on court three. The freshly ranked Aggie tandem moved to 5-1 on the year, including a 2-0 mark in the spring dual season.
For the second straight match, Texas A&M captured all six first sets including a 7-1 tiebreaker victory by sophomore AJ Catanzariti over Roskilly on court five. Adams returned to action for the first time since last season's NCAA tournament and the senior showed minimal rust. The New Braunfels native defeated Hewko 6-4, 6-2 on court four to put the Aggies ahead 2-0.
The day's third point was claimed by Adams doubles partner, No. 29 Vinsant. The Keller native bested Butters 6-3, 6-3 on court two to improve to 2-0 in dual matches and 9-4 overall this season. Moments later the match was clinched by No. 5 Rinderknech on the first court. The Paris native continues to pace the Aggies with 15 wins this season, improving to 15-2 overall and 2-0 in duals.
History Against Baylor
The Aggies and Bears have met on the courts 54 times, playing at least yearly from 1978 through 2012 as members of the Southwest and Big 12 Conferences. The College Station crew holds a 33-20-1 advantage in the all-time series, falling 4-3 in the most recent match-up in 2014 at the ITA Indoor National Championships that the Aggies hosted in Houston.
Up Next
The Aggies will host a pair of double headers at the Mitchell Tennis Center this weekend. The action begins Friday at noon as the maroon and white will take on UTRGV, followed by a 6 p.m. match up against No. 29 Florida State. Sunday the Aggies take on No. 13 South Florida at noon before concluding the four-match home stand against St. Edward's at 4:30 p.m.
Keep Up With the Aggies
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.
Setting the Scene
The Aggies (4-0) look stay hot as they put their four-match winning streak on the line at the Battle of the Brazos. Baylor (5-0) counters with a five-match win streak if its own.
Players in the ITA Rankings
Texas A&M enters the match with a pair of ranked singles players, led by No. 5 Arthur Rinderknech. Rinderknech earned the highest initial spring ranking for an Aggie on record, additionally he is the highest-ranked player in the SEC. The Frenchman stands at 15-2 this year, including four wins over ranked opponents, his only two losses were against the currently ranked No. 2 and No. 3 players.
Senior Shane Vinsant brings a No. 29 ranking into the midweek matchup. The Keller native is currently 9-4 on the season, including a perfect 2-0 dual record. Vinsant has earned All-SEC recognition each of the last two seasons, along with the 2014 SEC Tournament MVP honors. A season ago Vinsant was named an All-American alongside classmate Harrison Adams after earning a final No. 10 ranking in the doubles poll.
In addition to the two ranked singles players, the Aggies enlist a pair of ranked doubles teams in the initial spring rankings. No. 12 Rinderknech and Vinsant and the 29th ranked pair of Jordi Arconada and Max Lunkin. Arconada and Lunkin are 5-1 this season, with a 2-0 dual record and one win over a ranked doubles team under their belt.
Baylor enlists one ranked player for the Battle of the Brazos, No. 59 Maxime Tchoutakian. The junior was the 2015 Big 12 Newcomer of the Year and enters Wednesday's match at 8-3 this season.
Last Time Out
The then-No. 5 Texas A&M men's tennis team defeated Boise State 4-0 at the George P. Mitchell Tennis Center on Jan. 24, 2016. With the win, the Aggies advanced to the ITA National Team Indoor Championships to be held Feb. 12-15 at the Boar's Head Sports Club in Charlottesville, Va.
The Aggies opened the day capturing the doubles point for the fourth consecutive match, returning All-Americans Adams and Vinsant made their first appearance alongside each other this season. The duo were knotted at 3-3 on the first court against Toby Mitchell and Kyle Butters when the doubles point was clinched.
Senior Jackson Withrow and Rinderknech continued their hot-streak to open the spring season, the pair moved to 3-0 on the year as they defeated Lewis Roskilly and Brian Foley 6-1 on court two. Arconada and Lunkin proved their mettle, winning 6-2 over Pedro Platzeck and Abe Hewko on court three. The freshly ranked Aggie tandem moved to 5-1 on the year, including a 2-0 mark in the spring dual season.
For the second straight match, Texas A&M captured all six first sets including a 7-1 tiebreaker victory by sophomore AJ Catanzariti over Roskilly on court five. Adams returned to action for the first time since last season's NCAA tournament and the senior showed minimal rust. The New Braunfels native defeated Hewko 6-4, 6-2 on court four to put the Aggies ahead 2-0.
The day's third point was claimed by Adams doubles partner, No. 29 Vinsant. The Keller native bested Butters 6-3, 6-3 on court two to improve to 2-0 in dual matches and 9-4 overall this season. Moments later the match was clinched by No. 5 Rinderknech on the first court. The Paris native continues to pace the Aggies with 15 wins this season, improving to 15-2 overall and 2-0 in duals.
History Against Baylor
The Aggies and Bears have met on the courts 54 times, playing at least yearly from 1978 through 2012 as members of the Southwest and Big 12 Conferences. The College Station crew holds a 33-20-1 advantage in the all-time series, falling 4-3 in the most recent match-up in 2014 at the ITA Indoor National Championships that the Aggies hosted in Houston.
Up Next
The Aggies will host a pair of double headers at the Mitchell Tennis Center this weekend. The action begins Friday at noon as the maroon and white will take on UTRGV, followed by a 6 p.m. match up against No. 29 Florida State. Sunday the Aggies take on No. 13 South Florida at noon before concluding the four-match home stand against St. Edward's at 4:30 p.m.
Keep Up With the Aggies
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.