AUBURN, Ala. – The No. 8 Texas A&M men's tennis team is set to face Auburn (8-3) at the Yarbrough Tennis Center in Auburn, Alabama at 2 p.m. (CT) Friday. The Aggies (11-3) look to open Southeastern Conference play with a victory for the fourth straight season.
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Players in the ITA Rankings
Texas A&M enters the match with a trio of ranked singles players, led by No. 13 Arthur Rinderknech. Rinderknech earned the highest initial spring ranking for an Aggie on record back in January. Additionally, the Paris, France native has been the highest-ranked SEC player in each ranking this spring. The Frenchman stands at 17-6 this year, including a team-high six wins over ranked opponents.
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Senior Shane Vinsant brings a No. 53 ranking into the matchup. The Keller, Texas native is currently 13-8 on the season, trailing Rinderknech with five wins against ranked foes. 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.
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Sophomore Jordi Arconada was ranked No. 103 last week by the ITA, the first time the Buenos Aires native has been ranked in his collegiate career. The right-hander is 12-8 on the season, including an impressive straight set victory over then 16th-ranked Hugo Di Feo of Ohio State at the ITA Indoor Championships last month.
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In addition to the three ranked singles players, the Aggies enlist a trio of ranked doubles teams. No. 23 Rinderknech and Vinsant, No. 31 Rinderknech and Jackson Withrow and the 59th ranked pair of Jordi Arconada and Max Lunkin. Rinderknech and Withrow are 7-2 this season, with a 2-2 mark against ranked teams. Arconada and Lunkin are 9-3 this season, with a 6-2 dual record and one win over a ranked doubles team under their belt.
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Auburn counters with nation's 52nd-ranked duo of Marko Krickovic and Edward Nguyen.
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Last Time Out
The Texas A&M men's tennis team defeated No. 12 Illinois, 4-2, at the Atkins Tennis Center in Urbana-Champaign, Illinois on February 21. The Aggies improved to 11-3 on the season, while the Illini fell to 6-4.
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The maroon and white dropped the doubles point for just the third time in 14 matches this season. Illinois claimed the day's first point with victories on doubles court two and three. Harrison Adams and AJ Catanzariti fell 6-1 to Julian Childers and Aiden Jiang on court three before No. 33 Max Lunkin and Jordi Arconada dropped a 6-2 decision to Aleks Vukic and Aron Hiltzik on the middle court.
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Texas A&M bounced back from dropping the doubles point to claim first sets on five of six courts. The Illini tacked on point number two from a straight set victory on court two, No. 10 Jared Hiltzik topped Arconada 6-3, 6-2. Following the set-back the maroon and white would storm through the final four matches that finished to claim the team win.
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Withrow put A&M on the board with an impressive 6-3, 6-2 victory over Brian Page on court five, moments later the match was evened as Catanzariti defeated No. 69 Aron Hiltzik 6-1, 7-6(1) on court three. The Aggies continued to pile on the pressure claiming point number three as Adams tackled Childers 7-6(2), 3-6, 6-2 on court four. Rinderknech clinched the win with a 6-1, 5-7, 6-3 victory over No. 12 Vukic on the top court.
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Up Next
The Aggies will return to the Mitchell Tennis Center to take on No. 30 Florida Sunday at noon followed by a 4:30p.m. match-up against Nicholls State.
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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.
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Players in the ITA Rankings
Texas A&M enters the match with a trio of ranked singles players, led by No. 13 Arthur Rinderknech. Rinderknech earned the highest initial spring ranking for an Aggie on record back in January. Additionally, the Paris, France native has been the highest-ranked SEC player in each ranking this spring. The Frenchman stands at 17-6 this year, including a team-high six wins over ranked opponents.
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Senior Shane Vinsant brings a No. 53 ranking into the matchup. The Keller, Texas native is currently 13-8 on the season, trailing Rinderknech with five wins against ranked foes. 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.
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Sophomore Jordi Arconada was ranked No. 103 last week by the ITA, the first time the Buenos Aires native has been ranked in his collegiate career. The right-hander is 12-8 on the season, including an impressive straight set victory over then 16th-ranked Hugo Di Feo of Ohio State at the ITA Indoor Championships last month.
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In addition to the three ranked singles players, the Aggies enlist a trio of ranked doubles teams. No. 23 Rinderknech and Vinsant, No. 31 Rinderknech and Jackson Withrow and the 59th ranked pair of Jordi Arconada and Max Lunkin. Rinderknech and Withrow are 7-2 this season, with a 2-2 mark against ranked teams. Arconada and Lunkin are 9-3 this season, with a 6-2 dual record and one win over a ranked doubles team under their belt.
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Auburn counters with nation's 52nd-ranked duo of Marko Krickovic and Edward Nguyen.
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Last Time Out
The Texas A&M men's tennis team defeated No. 12 Illinois, 4-2, at the Atkins Tennis Center in Urbana-Champaign, Illinois on February 21. The Aggies improved to 11-3 on the season, while the Illini fell to 6-4.
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The maroon and white dropped the doubles point for just the third time in 14 matches this season. Illinois claimed the day's first point with victories on doubles court two and three. Harrison Adams and AJ Catanzariti fell 6-1 to Julian Childers and Aiden Jiang on court three before No. 33 Max Lunkin and Jordi Arconada dropped a 6-2 decision to Aleks Vukic and Aron Hiltzik on the middle court.
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Texas A&M bounced back from dropping the doubles point to claim first sets on five of six courts. The Illini tacked on point number two from a straight set victory on court two, No. 10 Jared Hiltzik topped Arconada 6-3, 6-2. Following the set-back the maroon and white would storm through the final four matches that finished to claim the team win.
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Withrow put A&M on the board with an impressive 6-3, 6-2 victory over Brian Page on court five, moments later the match was evened as Catanzariti defeated No. 69 Aron Hiltzik 6-1, 7-6(1) on court three. The Aggies continued to pile on the pressure claiming point number three as Adams tackled Childers 7-6(2), 3-6, 6-2 on court four. Rinderknech clinched the win with a 6-1, 5-7, 6-3 victory over No. 12 Vukic on the top court.
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Up Next
The Aggies will return to the Mitchell Tennis Center to take on No. 30 Florida Sunday at noon followed by a 4:30p.m. match-up against Nicholls State.
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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.