Sunday, February 21
Champaign, Ill.
12:00 PM
Texas A&M
at
Illinois
Aggies and Illini Set for Battle
Feb 20, 2016 | Men's Tennis
URBANA-CHAMPAIGN, Illinois – The No. 7 Texas A&M men's tennis team is set to face No. 12 Illinois at the Atkins Tennis Center in Urbana-Champaign, Illinois at 12 p.m. (CT) Sunday. The Aggies (10-3) look to get back to their winning ways, having dropped their last three matches after rattling off 10 straight victories to open the season. The Buckeyes bring a 6-3 record into the Top-15 showdown in the Prairie State.
Players in the ITA Rankings
Texas A&M enters the match with a pair of ranked singles players, led by No. 8 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 16-6 this year, including a tie for a team-high five wins over ranked opponents.
Senior Shane Vinsant brings a No. 39 ranking into the top-15 matchup. The Keller, Texas native is currently 13-8 on the season, matching 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.
In addition to the two ranked singles players, the Aggies enlist a pair of ranked doubles teams. No. 26 Rinderknech and Vinsant and the 33rd ranked pair of Jordi Arconada and Max Lunkin. Arconada and Lunkin are 9-2 this season, with a 6-1 dual record and one win over a ranked doubles team under their belt.
Illinois counters with a trio of ranked singles players; No. 10 Jared Hiltzik, No. 12 Aleks Vukic and No. 69 Aron Hiltzik. Vukic paces the Illini with a perfect 7-0 singles record, playing all of his matches at either the first or second court.
Last Time Out
The No. 7 Texas A&M men's tennis team dropped its second straight decision to No. 6 Ohio State Friday evening in Columbus, Ohio. The Aggies suffered a 4-0 setback to the Buckeyes at the Varsity Tennis Center.
The maroon and white dropped the doubles point for just the second time in 13 matches this season. Ohio State started strong on all three courts before claiming the day's first point with victories on doubles court two and three. No. 33 Max Lunkin and Jordi Arconada fell 6-2 to Hugo Di Feo and Chris Diaz on court three before Harrison Adams and Shane Vinsant dropped a 6-2 decision to No. 14 Ralf Steinbach and Martin Joyce on the middle court.
Even though the two teams faced off just five days ago, both squads opted to shuffle their singles lineup. Despite the shuffle, four rematches were played from the final match at the ITA Team indoor Championships. The Aggies and Buckeyes swapped lines two and three while moving the match played on court five on Sunday to court six.
The Buckeyes jumped out to a fast start in singles play, winning first sets on four courts. The scarlet and grey maintained momentum winning in straight sets on courts three, five and six. The day's second point came from Steinbach's 6-2, 6-4 win over Withrow, followed by Joyce's 6-3, 6-3 win over sophomore AJ Catanzariti. No. 42 Diaz clinched the match 6-3, 6-2 over No. 39 Vinsant on court three.
Up Next
The Aggies will remain on the road, as they travel to face No. 12 Illinois Sunday followed by the SEC opener at No. 56 Auburn on March 4. The Aggies will return to the Mitchell Tennis Center to take on No. 23 Florida on March 6.
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.
Players in the ITA Rankings
Texas A&M enters the match with a pair of ranked singles players, led by No. 8 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 16-6 this year, including a tie for a team-high five wins over ranked opponents.
Senior Shane Vinsant brings a No. 39 ranking into the top-15 matchup. The Keller, Texas native is currently 13-8 on the season, matching 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.
In addition to the two ranked singles players, the Aggies enlist a pair of ranked doubles teams. No. 26 Rinderknech and Vinsant and the 33rd ranked pair of Jordi Arconada and Max Lunkin. Arconada and Lunkin are 9-2 this season, with a 6-1 dual record and one win over a ranked doubles team under their belt.
Illinois counters with a trio of ranked singles players; No. 10 Jared Hiltzik, No. 12 Aleks Vukic and No. 69 Aron Hiltzik. Vukic paces the Illini with a perfect 7-0 singles record, playing all of his matches at either the first or second court.
Last Time Out
The No. 7 Texas A&M men's tennis team dropped its second straight decision to No. 6 Ohio State Friday evening in Columbus, Ohio. The Aggies suffered a 4-0 setback to the Buckeyes at the Varsity Tennis Center.
The maroon and white dropped the doubles point for just the second time in 13 matches this season. Ohio State started strong on all three courts before claiming the day's first point with victories on doubles court two and three. No. 33 Max Lunkin and Jordi Arconada fell 6-2 to Hugo Di Feo and Chris Diaz on court three before Harrison Adams and Shane Vinsant dropped a 6-2 decision to No. 14 Ralf Steinbach and Martin Joyce on the middle court.
Even though the two teams faced off just five days ago, both squads opted to shuffle their singles lineup. Despite the shuffle, four rematches were played from the final match at the ITA Team indoor Championships. The Aggies and Buckeyes swapped lines two and three while moving the match played on court five on Sunday to court six.
The Buckeyes jumped out to a fast start in singles play, winning first sets on four courts. The scarlet and grey maintained momentum winning in straight sets on courts three, five and six. The day's second point came from Steinbach's 6-2, 6-4 win over Withrow, followed by Joyce's 6-3, 6-3 win over sophomore AJ Catanzariti. No. 42 Diaz clinched the match 6-3, 6-2 over No. 39 Vinsant on court three.
Up Next
The Aggies will remain on the road, as they travel to face No. 12 Illinois Sunday followed by the SEC opener at No. 56 Auburn on March 4. The Aggies will return to the Mitchell Tennis Center to take on No. 23 Florida on March 6.
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.
Players Mentioned
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/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
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