Friday, May 7
Bryan-College Station
2:00 PM
Texas A&M
4
vs
1
New Mexico
Photo by: Craig Bisacre/Texas A&M Athletics
No. 8 Men’s Tennis Defeats New Mexico to Advance to NCAA Second Round
May 07, 2021 | Men's Tennis
BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The eighth-ranked Texas A&M men's tennis team opened NCAA Tournament play Friday with a 4-1 win against New Mexico at the George P. Mitchell Tennis Center. The Aggies (17-8) are the top-seed in the College Station Regional as they participate in their 27th straight NCAA Tournament and are hosting for the eight straight season.
The Maroon and White will take on No. 24 Oklahoma (11-14) at 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 8, to determine which team advances to next weekend's Round of 16 matchup against the winner of the regional in Orlando, hosted by No. 9 Central Florida.
A&M opened play by earning the doubles point through victories on the top two courts. The Aggie duo of No. 65 Valentin Vacherot and Pierce Rollins bested UNM's Jake Trondson and Raul Dobai, 6-3, on court two to open the action. UNM pulled even in doubles as Alex Maggs and Stepan Holis topped A&M's Pranav Kumar and Noah Schachter, 6-3, on court three. With the point in the balance, A&M's No. 8 Carlos Aguilar and Bjorn Thomson were up to the task as the defeated Dominic West and Sergio Molina, 6-4, to stake the Aggies to a 1-0 advantage.
The Aggies maintained momentum in singles action as they claimed first sets on four of six courts. No 3 Hady Habib doubled the A&M advantage as he topped West 6-4, 6-0 on court two. The Lobos got on the board as Rafael Abdulsalam defeated No. 100 Schachter 6-3, 6-2 to pull UNm within 2-1 on the scoreboard.
No. 122 Rollins tacked on point number three for the home team as he ousted Trondson 7-6(6), 6-1 before Guido Marson punched the Aggie's ticket to the second round with a 6-4, 7-5 win on court six over Molina.
All-session and single match tickets are on sale, Texas A&M students with a valid student ID are free, compliments of Texas A&M head coach Steve Denton. Tickets can be purchased by phone at 888-992-4443, online at www.12thmanfoundation.com or in person from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Kyle Field Box Office located on the north end of the stadium. Tickets also will be available for purchase on match days at the Mitchell Tennis Center beginning one hour before match time.
RESULTS
Tennis Match Results
New Mexico vs Texas A&M
5/7/2021 at BCS, TX
(Mitchell Tennis Center)
#8 Texas A&M 4, New Mexico 1
Singles competition
1. #5 Valentin Vacherot (TAMU) vs. DOBAI, Raul (NM) 6-7 (4-7), 6-4, 0-0, unfinished
2. #3 Hady Habib (TAMU) def. WEST, Dominic (NM) 6-4, 6-0
3. #30 Juan Carlos Aguilar (TAMU) vs. HOLIS, Stepan (NM) 6-1, 2-6, 5-1, unfinished
4. ABDULSALAM, Rafael (NM) def. #100 Noah Schachter (TAMU) 6-3, 6-2
5. #122 Pierce Rollins (TAMU) def. TRONDSON, Jake (NM) 7-6 (8-6), 6-1
6. Guido Marson (TAMU) def. MOLINA, Sergio (NM) 6-4, 7-5
Doubles competition
1. #8 Juan Carlos Aguilar/Bjorn Thomson (TAMU) def. WEST, Dominic/MOLINA, Sergio (NM) 6-4
2. #65 Valentin Vacherot/Pierce Rollins (TAMU) def. TRONDSON, Jake/DOBAI, Raul (NM) 6-3
3. MAGGS, Alex/HOLIS, Stepan (NM) def. Pranav Kumar/Noah Schachter (TAMU) 6-3
Match Notes:
New Mexico 17-8
Texas A&M 8-10; National ranking #8
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3,1); Singles (2,4,5,6)
FOLLOW THE AGGIES
Visit 12thman.com for more information on Texas A&M men's tennis. Fans can keep up to date with the A&M men's tennis team on Facebook, Instagram, and on Twitter by following @AggieMTEN.
TEXAS A&M HEAD COACH STEVE DENTON QUOTES
On the win over New Mexico…
"This was the hardest first round match we have had in quite a while, but we knew that going in. We knew they were going to come in here and play well and they did, all credit to them. New Mexico competed on every court against us and gave us a battle. Having said that, I think this is what we needed. We have not played in two weeks and it is typical that teams play a little bit tight early in tournaments. We got tested and I was pleased that we responded."
On playing Oklahoma tomorrow….
"They are the next object in front of us to for us to reach our goal, which is obviously to get to Orlando. We have played OU before, so we are familiar with them. They are very well coached, a good team and a feisty team. Obviously we will have to raise our level tomorrow if we want to go to Orlando."
TEXAS A&M SOPHOMORE PIERCE ROLLINS QUOTES
On today's match…
"The match was great today; we all had a lot of fun out there because we showed up with a lot of energy. It was good to start today with the doubles point which was really important and then everyone bounced into singles play and everyone showed a lot of fight. We are proud of our effort today. We have a big match tomorrow against Oklahoma and I am looking forward to playing a friend from Tulsa, It is going to be a great match and we cannot wait to see the 12th Man out the Mitchell Tennis Center."
NCAA NOTES
- The Aggies are 44-28 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, reaching the Round of Sixteen 14 times, the Round of Eight three times and the NCAA Semifinal in 2018.
- Head Coach Steve Denton is 24-13 all-time in the NCAA Tournament.
- With this season's appearance, Texas A&M has advanced to 28 NCAA Tournaments and made 27 consecutive appearances.
- Texas A&M is 26-8 all-time against Oklahoma and improved to 6-3 versus New Mexico.
NCAA FIRST AND SECOND ROUNDS
(Mitchell Tennis Center, College Station, Texas)
First Round
Friday, May 7
No. 27 Oklahoma (11-14) def. Denver (16-4), 4-1
No. 8 Texas A&M (17-8) def New Mexico (8-10), 4-1
Second Round
Saturday, May 8
Oklahoma vs. No. 8 Texas A&M, 2 p.m.
TICKET INFORMATION:
Tickets to the first and second-round matches can be purchased in advance at 12thManFoundation.com or during business hours at the Athletic Ticket Office located at Kyle Field or by calling the ticket office at 1-888-99-AGGIE or 979-845-2311. Tickets also will be available for purchase on match days at the Mitchell Tennis Center beginning one hour before match time.
$5 Single Day General Admission
$3 Single Day Student/Youth General Admission
Free for children under age two in General Admission seating
The Maroon and White will take on No. 24 Oklahoma (11-14) at 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 8, to determine which team advances to next weekend's Round of 16 matchup against the winner of the regional in Orlando, hosted by No. 9 Central Florida.
A&M opened play by earning the doubles point through victories on the top two courts. The Aggie duo of No. 65 Valentin Vacherot and Pierce Rollins bested UNM's Jake Trondson and Raul Dobai, 6-3, on court two to open the action. UNM pulled even in doubles as Alex Maggs and Stepan Holis topped A&M's Pranav Kumar and Noah Schachter, 6-3, on court three. With the point in the balance, A&M's No. 8 Carlos Aguilar and Bjorn Thomson were up to the task as the defeated Dominic West and Sergio Molina, 6-4, to stake the Aggies to a 1-0 advantage.
The Aggies maintained momentum in singles action as they claimed first sets on four of six courts. No 3 Hady Habib doubled the A&M advantage as he topped West 6-4, 6-0 on court two. The Lobos got on the board as Rafael Abdulsalam defeated No. 100 Schachter 6-3, 6-2 to pull UNm within 2-1 on the scoreboard.
No. 122 Rollins tacked on point number three for the home team as he ousted Trondson 7-6(6), 6-1 before Guido Marson punched the Aggie's ticket to the second round with a 6-4, 7-5 win on court six over Molina.
All-session and single match tickets are on sale, Texas A&M students with a valid student ID are free, compliments of Texas A&M head coach Steve Denton. Tickets can be purchased by phone at 888-992-4443, online at www.12thmanfoundation.com or in person from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Kyle Field Box Office located on the north end of the stadium. Tickets also will be available for purchase on match days at the Mitchell Tennis Center beginning one hour before match time.
RESULTS
Tennis Match Results
New Mexico vs Texas A&M
5/7/2021 at BCS, TX
(Mitchell Tennis Center)
#8 Texas A&M 4, New Mexico 1
Singles competition
1. #5 Valentin Vacherot (TAMU) vs. DOBAI, Raul (NM) 6-7 (4-7), 6-4, 0-0, unfinished
2. #3 Hady Habib (TAMU) def. WEST, Dominic (NM) 6-4, 6-0
3. #30 Juan Carlos Aguilar (TAMU) vs. HOLIS, Stepan (NM) 6-1, 2-6, 5-1, unfinished
4. ABDULSALAM, Rafael (NM) def. #100 Noah Schachter (TAMU) 6-3, 6-2
5. #122 Pierce Rollins (TAMU) def. TRONDSON, Jake (NM) 7-6 (8-6), 6-1
6. Guido Marson (TAMU) def. MOLINA, Sergio (NM) 6-4, 7-5
Doubles competition
1. #8 Juan Carlos Aguilar/Bjorn Thomson (TAMU) def. WEST, Dominic/MOLINA, Sergio (NM) 6-4
2. #65 Valentin Vacherot/Pierce Rollins (TAMU) def. TRONDSON, Jake/DOBAI, Raul (NM) 6-3
3. MAGGS, Alex/HOLIS, Stepan (NM) def. Pranav Kumar/Noah Schachter (TAMU) 6-3
Match Notes:
New Mexico 17-8
Texas A&M 8-10; National ranking #8
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3,1); Singles (2,4,5,6)
FOLLOW THE AGGIES
Visit 12thman.com for more information on Texas A&M men's tennis. Fans can keep up to date with the A&M men's tennis team on Facebook, Instagram, and on Twitter by following @AggieMTEN.
TEXAS A&M HEAD COACH STEVE DENTON QUOTES
On the win over New Mexico…
"This was the hardest first round match we have had in quite a while, but we knew that going in. We knew they were going to come in here and play well and they did, all credit to them. New Mexico competed on every court against us and gave us a battle. Having said that, I think this is what we needed. We have not played in two weeks and it is typical that teams play a little bit tight early in tournaments. We got tested and I was pleased that we responded."
On playing Oklahoma tomorrow….
"They are the next object in front of us to for us to reach our goal, which is obviously to get to Orlando. We have played OU before, so we are familiar with them. They are very well coached, a good team and a feisty team. Obviously we will have to raise our level tomorrow if we want to go to Orlando."
TEXAS A&M SOPHOMORE PIERCE ROLLINS QUOTES
On today's match…
"The match was great today; we all had a lot of fun out there because we showed up with a lot of energy. It was good to start today with the doubles point which was really important and then everyone bounced into singles play and everyone showed a lot of fight. We are proud of our effort today. We have a big match tomorrow against Oklahoma and I am looking forward to playing a friend from Tulsa, It is going to be a great match and we cannot wait to see the 12th Man out the Mitchell Tennis Center."
NCAA NOTES
- The Aggies are 44-28 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, reaching the Round of Sixteen 14 times, the Round of Eight three times and the NCAA Semifinal in 2018.
- Head Coach Steve Denton is 24-13 all-time in the NCAA Tournament.
- With this season's appearance, Texas A&M has advanced to 28 NCAA Tournaments and made 27 consecutive appearances.
- Texas A&M is 26-8 all-time against Oklahoma and improved to 6-3 versus New Mexico.
NCAA FIRST AND SECOND ROUNDS
(Mitchell Tennis Center, College Station, Texas)
First Round
Friday, May 7
No. 27 Oklahoma (11-14) def. Denver (16-4), 4-1
No. 8 Texas A&M (17-8) def New Mexico (8-10), 4-1
Second Round
Saturday, May 8
Oklahoma vs. No. 8 Texas A&M, 2 p.m.
TICKET INFORMATION:
Tickets to the first and second-round matches can be purchased in advance at 12thManFoundation.com or during business hours at the Athletic Ticket Office located at Kyle Field or by calling the ticket office at 1-888-99-AGGIE or 979-845-2311. Tickets also will be available for purchase on match days at the Mitchell Tennis Center beginning one hour before match time.
$5 Single Day General Admission
$3 Single Day Student/Youth General Admission
Free for children under age two in General Admission seating
Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
2,3,1
#1 Singles Match
123
DOBAI, Raul / 0 [NM]
740
66UF
#2 Singles Match
12
WEST, Dominic / 0 [NM]
40
66
#3 Singles Match
1234
HOLIS, Stepan / 0 [NM]
1610
625UF
#4 Singles Match
12
ABDULSALAM, Rafael / 0 [NM]
66
32
#5 Singles Match
12
TRONDSON, Jake / 0 [NM]
61
76
#6 Singles Match
12
MOLINA, Sergio / 0 [NM]
45
67
Order of Finish:
2,4,5,6
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
Baylor Postgame: Steve Denton, Theo Papamalamis, Alan Magadan
Sunday, May 04
Rice Postgame: Togan Tokac
Saturday, May 03
NCAA Tournament Preview: Steve Denton, Raphael Perot
Tuesday, April 30
Spring Preview: Steve Denton
Monday, January 08
