Spring Break
Aggies to face mighty storm
By: Michael Sullivan
Issue date: 4/1/09 Section: Sports
After opening Big 12 play Friday, the Texas A&M men's tennis team will return to George P. Mitchell Tennis Center for a mid-week match against the No. 35 Tulsa Golden Hurricane.
Because the Big 12 conference only provides six matches before the Big 12 Championship and NCAA Championship, the Aggies will schedule multiple non-conference matches to prepare for post-conference play.
"Because our conference is a little bit smaller in terms of numbers, we have to play quite a few out of conference matches even during this time of the year to ensure that we are ready to play," said A&M Head Coach Steve Denton. "Our guys need to play more matches to prepare us for the NCAA tournament and the Big 12 Conference Championship."
Despite the fact that the match does not affect A&M's conference record, the Aggies are not taking it lightly. Tulsa, currently ranked No. 35, began the season with a Top 10 ranking, and Denton expects to see them again during the NCAA Championship.
"This is far from a practice match," Denton said. "They have the No. 1 player in the country and are a really experienced team, so this is a team we could see again in the NCAA tournament."
A&M and Tulsa have had multiple common opponents. The most recent was Louisville. On March 1, the Aggies were defeated 6-1 by the Cardinals. On March 28, the Hurricane topped the Cardinals 5-2.
"This is a team that just beat Louisville 5-2, who beat us 6-1," Denton said. "They are a very dangerous team. I know they are a really good team."
After the Aggie squad battles the Hurricane, it will have a quick turnaround before continuing Big 12 play on Friday when they play host to Texas Tech. Although the match will be very physical and will take its toll on the Aggie line-up,Denton did not feel that the match would affect the Aggies' performance against the Red Raiders.
"Every one of these matches takes its toll on you, but our guys are very conditioned athletes," Denton said. "We aren't really concerned about [the match] other then the fact that we have had a lot of close, emotional matches lately and those start to take their toll after a while."
Because the Big 12 conference only provides six matches before the Big 12 Championship and NCAA Championship, the Aggies will schedule multiple non-conference matches to prepare for post-conference play.
"Because our conference is a little bit smaller in terms of numbers, we have to play quite a few out of conference matches even during this time of the year to ensure that we are ready to play," said A&M Head Coach Steve Denton. "Our guys need to play more matches to prepare us for the NCAA tournament and the Big 12 Conference Championship."
Despite the fact that the match does not affect A&M's conference record, the Aggies are not taking it lightly. Tulsa, currently ranked No. 35, began the season with a Top 10 ranking, and Denton expects to see them again during the NCAA Championship.
"This is far from a practice match," Denton said. "They have the No. 1 player in the country and are a really experienced team, so this is a team we could see again in the NCAA tournament."
A&M and Tulsa have had multiple common opponents. The most recent was Louisville. On March 1, the Aggies were defeated 6-1 by the Cardinals. On March 28, the Hurricane topped the Cardinals 5-2.
"This is a team that just beat Louisville 5-2, who beat us 6-1," Denton said. "They are a very dangerous team. I know they are a really good team."
After the Aggie squad battles the Hurricane, it will have a quick turnaround before continuing Big 12 play on Friday when they play host to Texas Tech. Although the match will be very physical and will take its toll on the Aggie line-up,Denton did not feel that the match would affect the Aggies' performance against the Red Raiders.
"Every one of these matches takes its toll on you, but our guys are very conditioned athletes," Denton said. "We aren't really concerned about [the match] other then the fact that we have had a lot of close, emotional matches lately and those start to take their toll after a while."
Be sure to include your name, major, and class year. Submissions without this information are subject to deletion.
By submitting a comment, you agree to thebatt.com's Terms of Use.
You may also send a Mail Call to The Battalion at mailcall@thebatt.com