Photo by: Micah Richter/Texas A&M Athletics
Aggies Host Rice, Grand Canyon, Samford for ITA Kickoff Weekend
Jun 18, 2026 | Men's Tennis
TEMPE, Ariz. – The Texas A&M men's tennis team hosts Rice, Grand Canyon and Samford for the 2027 ITA Kickoff Weekend, the Intercollegiate Tennis Association announced on Thursday.
The Aggies, by virtue of their No. 11 ITA final ranking in 2026, were selected to host the Kickoff Weekend, which will be contested Jan. 23-24, 2027. It's the first time the Aggie men have hosted since 2022, but head coach Steve Denton's charges have advanced to the National Indoor Team Championships the past three seasons with road triumphs at NC State (2026), Harvard (2025) and Georgia (2024).
The top-seeded Aggies take on No. 4 Samford in the opening round and would face the winner of No. 2 Rice and No. 3 Grand Canyon if they advance.
Texas A&M returns five of six players from its 2026 lineup that posted a 20-10 overall record, advanced the semifinals of the SEC Tournament and earned a host site for the NCAA First & Second Rounds. Three of the Aggies' returnees earned All-SEC recognition in 2025-26 with Theo Papamalamis and Kholo Montsi receiving first-team all-conference honors and Markus Molder making the All-Freshman Team.
Additionally, the Aggies 2026-27 roster was bolstered with the addition of three accomplished transfers and the top tennis recruit from the state of Texas. Denton signed transfers Hamza Nasridinov (Auburn), Bor Artnak (Arizona State) and Ilia Snitari (UNLV), as well as freshman James Quattro from Austin.
The Aggies, by virtue of their No. 11 ITA final ranking in 2026, were selected to host the Kickoff Weekend, which will be contested Jan. 23-24, 2027. It's the first time the Aggie men have hosted since 2022, but head coach Steve Denton's charges have advanced to the National Indoor Team Championships the past three seasons with road triumphs at NC State (2026), Harvard (2025) and Georgia (2024).
The top-seeded Aggies take on No. 4 Samford in the opening round and would face the winner of No. 2 Rice and No. 3 Grand Canyon if they advance.
Texas A&M returns five of six players from its 2026 lineup that posted a 20-10 overall record, advanced the semifinals of the SEC Tournament and earned a host site for the NCAA First & Second Rounds. Three of the Aggies' returnees earned All-SEC recognition in 2025-26 with Theo Papamalamis and Kholo Montsi receiving first-team all-conference honors and Markus Molder making the All-Freshman Team.
Additionally, the Aggies 2026-27 roster was bolstered with the addition of three accomplished transfers and the top tennis recruit from the state of Texas. Denton signed transfers Hamza Nasridinov (Auburn), Bor Artnak (Arizona State) and Ilia Snitari (UNLV), as well as freshman James Quattro from Austin.
Players Mentioned
Sunday, May 03
Saturday, May 02
Monday, April 27
Saturday, April 18
