Spring Break
Tennis triumph
Score volleys back and forth in win at home
By: Michael Sullivan
Issue date: 1/26/09 Section: Sports
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After A&M swept the doubles to earn the first point of the match, Radford was able to tie the match 2-2 during singles. However, the Aggies responded by winning the remaining three singles matches for a 5-2 victory.
"We played really well in doubles," said A&M Head Coach Steve Denton. "Give a lot of credit to Radford. They played well, fought hard and they have a good team."
The Aggies relied on the play of Denton's "big three." Senior Conor Pollock, who ranks No. 12 in the nation individually, No. 46 ranked sophomore Austin Krajicek and No. 8 ranked Wil Spencer each won both of their doubles and singles matches in the victory over the Highlanders.
"I think our big three came through,"
Denton said. "[They] won some really big matches versus some really good players. You don't want to be in tight situations in your first match of the season, but that is how it turned out. I think it will help us later down the road."
Spencer was the first singles player off the court after winning 6-1 and 6-2, giving the Aggies a 2-0 lead. Radford then took wins from the five and six players to tie the match at 2-2.
The Aggies responded in a match of two previous Freshmen of the Year. Krajicek, the 2008 Big 12 Freshmen of the Year, defeated Radford's Ivan Salek, the 2007-2008 Big South Freshman of the year, regaining the Aggie lead 3-2.
"All credit to Austin Krajicek because he had a really tough customer that he played against," Denton said. "He showed that he really improved his game, and obviously [will] be a major contributor to our success this season."
In his first singles match in almost two years, junior Marcus Lunt overcame a 6-5 first set deficit by winning 12 consecutive points to close the set in a tie-breaker. Lunt went on to win the second set and the fourth match, securing the Aggie victory.
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