Friday, February 5
College Station
12:00 PM
Texas A&M
vs
UTRGV
Photo by: Bill Kallenberg
Aggies set to Host Vaqueros and Seminoles
Feb 04, 2016 | Men's Tennis
COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Texas A&M's 3rd-ranked men's tennis team is set to host UTRGV at noon followed by a match-up against No. 28 Florida State at 6 p.m. at the George P. Mitchell Tennis Center.
Setting the Scene
The Aggies (5-0) look stay hot as they put their five-match winning streak on the line against the Vaqueros (2-2) and the Seminoles (6-1).
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 15-3 this year, including four wins over ranked opponents.
Senior Shane Vinsant brings a No. 29 ranking into the midweek matchup. The Keller native is currently 10-4 on the season, including a perfect 3-0 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 6-1 this season, with a 3-0 dual record and one win over a ranked doubles team under their belt.
Florida State enlists a pair of ranked players, No. 15 Benjamin Lock and No. 77 Marco Nunez. Lock enters the weekend with an impressive 15-6 record, including a 9-6 mark against ranked foes. Nunez's ledger stands at an even 8-8, but the senior is 2-1 versus ranked opponents. Nunez and sophomore Jose Gracia bring a No. 14 ranking to College Station, while sophomore brothers Terrance and Terrell Whitehurst are ranked No. 55 in the initial spring doubles poll.
Last Time Out
The No. 3 Texas A&M men's tennis team defeated No. 4 Baylor, 4-2, Wednesday evening at the Hawkins Indoor Tennis Center in Waco, Tx. The Aggies improved to 5-0 on the season, while the Bears fell to 5-1.
For the fifth straight match the Aggies captured the doubles point to open the match. Sophomore Arthur Rinderknech and senior Jackson Withrow were the first off the court with a dominating 6-1 win on doubles court two over Max Tchoutakian and Tommy Podvinski, moving to 4-0 as a pair this season. Seniors Harrison Adams and Shane Vinsant fell 6-2 to Julian Lenz and Will Little on the first doubles court, the loss was the first dual doubles defeat on the season for an Aggie doubles team.
With the day's first point on the line, No. 29 Jordi Arconada and Max Lunkin were up to the task. After picking up an early break to take a 2-1 lead, the Bear duo squared the match at four-all. The maroon and white clad pair broke to take a 5-4, followed by securing the point on Lunkin's serve. The sophomore/junior partnership improved to 3-0 in duals and 6-1 on the season as the defeated Felipe Rios and Jimmy Bendeck.
The two top-five teams split first sets across all six singes courts, but the Aggies increased the lead to 2-0 as No. 29 Vinsant defeated No. 59 Tchoutakian 6-4, 6-4 on court two. The New Braunfels native improved to 10-4 this year, with four wins over ranked opponents and a 3-0 mark in duals.
Withrow pushed the Bears to the brink of defeat with a 6-2, 6-4 win on court six over Podvinski, to remain perfect on the spring season at 3-0. The Bears clawed back into the match as Lenz defeated No. 5 Rinderknech 6-4, 6-1 on court one and Rios defeated Arconada 7-5, 6-4 on court three.
As the match neared a conclusion, Adams and sophomore AJ Catanzariti were in a race to clinch the match for the Aggies. Adams marched back from a 6-3 first set defeat at the hands of Little, but claimed 11 of the next 16 games to lead 5-2 in the third set. Before Adams could serve for the victory, Catanzariti clinched the win for A&M 6-3, 7-6(3) on court five over Bendeck. The Pittsburgh native stands at 7-4 on the season and 3-0 in duals.
Up Next
The Aggies will host another double header at the Mitchell Tennis Center 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 (5-0) look stay hot as they put their five-match winning streak on the line against the Vaqueros (2-2) and the Seminoles (6-1).
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 15-3 this year, including four wins over ranked opponents.
Senior Shane Vinsant brings a No. 29 ranking into the midweek matchup. The Keller native is currently 10-4 on the season, including a perfect 3-0 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 6-1 this season, with a 3-0 dual record and one win over a ranked doubles team under their belt.
Florida State enlists a pair of ranked players, No. 15 Benjamin Lock and No. 77 Marco Nunez. Lock enters the weekend with an impressive 15-6 record, including a 9-6 mark against ranked foes. Nunez's ledger stands at an even 8-8, but the senior is 2-1 versus ranked opponents. Nunez and sophomore Jose Gracia bring a No. 14 ranking to College Station, while sophomore brothers Terrance and Terrell Whitehurst are ranked No. 55 in the initial spring doubles poll.
Last Time Out
The No. 3 Texas A&M men's tennis team defeated No. 4 Baylor, 4-2, Wednesday evening at the Hawkins Indoor Tennis Center in Waco, Tx. The Aggies improved to 5-0 on the season, while the Bears fell to 5-1.
For the fifth straight match the Aggies captured the doubles point to open the match. Sophomore Arthur Rinderknech and senior Jackson Withrow were the first off the court with a dominating 6-1 win on doubles court two over Max Tchoutakian and Tommy Podvinski, moving to 4-0 as a pair this season. Seniors Harrison Adams and Shane Vinsant fell 6-2 to Julian Lenz and Will Little on the first doubles court, the loss was the first dual doubles defeat on the season for an Aggie doubles team.
With the day's first point on the line, No. 29 Jordi Arconada and Max Lunkin were up to the task. After picking up an early break to take a 2-1 lead, the Bear duo squared the match at four-all. The maroon and white clad pair broke to take a 5-4, followed by securing the point on Lunkin's serve. The sophomore/junior partnership improved to 3-0 in duals and 6-1 on the season as the defeated Felipe Rios and Jimmy Bendeck.
The two top-five teams split first sets across all six singes courts, but the Aggies increased the lead to 2-0 as No. 29 Vinsant defeated No. 59 Tchoutakian 6-4, 6-4 on court two. The New Braunfels native improved to 10-4 this year, with four wins over ranked opponents and a 3-0 mark in duals.
Withrow pushed the Bears to the brink of defeat with a 6-2, 6-4 win on court six over Podvinski, to remain perfect on the spring season at 3-0. The Bears clawed back into the match as Lenz defeated No. 5 Rinderknech 6-4, 6-1 on court one and Rios defeated Arconada 7-5, 6-4 on court three.
As the match neared a conclusion, Adams and sophomore AJ Catanzariti were in a race to clinch the match for the Aggies. Adams marched back from a 6-3 first set defeat at the hands of Little, but claimed 11 of the next 16 games to lead 5-2 in the third set. Before Adams could serve for the victory, Catanzariti clinched the win for A&M 6-3, 7-6(3) on court five over Bendeck. The Pittsburgh native stands at 7-4 on the season and 3-0 in duals.
Up Next
The Aggies will host another double header at the Mitchell Tennis Center 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.
Players Mentioned
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