Spring Break
Perfect records meet on the Brazos
By: Michael Sullivan
Issue date: 4/8/09 Section: Sports
The No. 14 Texas A&M men's tennis team will put their perfect Big 12 Conference record on the line as they travel to Waco to take on No. 7 Baylor.
"They are a great team and we are going to have to play solid all the way through," said sophomore Austin Krajicek. "This is our shot. I think our team this year is very capable of beating them and it is going to be a great challenge."
The Aggies and Bears both enter the match on seven game win streaks and undefeated conference records of 3-0.
The two teams are currently tied for first place in the Big 12 and the match will likely decide the winner of the Big 12 season title and No. 1 seed at the Big 12 Championship. In the last eight years, Baylor has won seven of the Big 12 regular season titles.
"The matchups are all pretty even, they could go either way," said A&M Head Coach Steve Denton. "It is a question of which team handles the situation better and executes better under pressure."
The Aggies conference success has come due in part to solid singles play from senior Conor Pollock, Krajicek, sophomore Wil Spencer, and freshman Colin Hoover. In the three Big 12 matches, the players have combined to post a singles record of 11-1.
The Bears Big 12 success has come from solid play from their top four singles positions held by junior Denes Lukacs, sophomore Jordan Rux, junior Attila Bucko, and junior Dominik Mueller. In the three Big 12 matches, the players have combined to post a singles record of 8-1.
The top two singles matches will include contests between four ranked players.
At the No. 1 singles position, nationally ranked No. 19 Pollock will battle against No. 10 Lukacs, who has yet to drop a match in conference play and enters the match on a ten game win streak.
At the No 2 singles position, No. 51 Krajicek will battle No. 44 Rux. Krajicek has a perfect record in conference play and enters the match on a nine game win streak.
"I think it is going to come down to who plays the big point better on each court," Denton said. "We are the favorite on some of these courts and they are the favorite on some of these courts, so whoever plays best tomorrow night is going to win."
The match is being played at Baylor Tennis Center in Waco where the Bears have posted a 14-1 record this season. On the road the Aggies have posted a record of 6-4 compared to a 6-1 record at home.
"It will be a tough match for our guys because we are going into a hostile environment and some of our players aren't really accustom to that," Denton said. "One of the determining factors is that they are obviously getting to play at home."
After traveling to Waco to play Baylor, the Aggies will return home for the final two conference matches of the season. The Aggies will host Nebraska on April 10 and rival Texas on April 16 in the Lone Star Showdown.
"We have a great chance of winning the Big 12 and we aren't that much of an underdog," Krajicek said. "I think we are going to go up there and give it our best shot and hopefully come away with a Big 12 title at the end of the year."
"They are a great team and we are going to have to play solid all the way through," said sophomore Austin Krajicek. "This is our shot. I think our team this year is very capable of beating them and it is going to be a great challenge."
The Aggies and Bears both enter the match on seven game win streaks and undefeated conference records of 3-0.
The two teams are currently tied for first place in the Big 12 and the match will likely decide the winner of the Big 12 season title and No. 1 seed at the Big 12 Championship. In the last eight years, Baylor has won seven of the Big 12 regular season titles.
"The matchups are all pretty even, they could go either way," said A&M Head Coach Steve Denton. "It is a question of which team handles the situation better and executes better under pressure."
The Aggies conference success has come due in part to solid singles play from senior Conor Pollock, Krajicek, sophomore Wil Spencer, and freshman Colin Hoover. In the three Big 12 matches, the players have combined to post a singles record of 11-1.
The Bears Big 12 success has come from solid play from their top four singles positions held by junior Denes Lukacs, sophomore Jordan Rux, junior Attila Bucko, and junior Dominik Mueller. In the three Big 12 matches, the players have combined to post a singles record of 8-1.
The top two singles matches will include contests between four ranked players.
At the No. 1 singles position, nationally ranked No. 19 Pollock will battle against No. 10 Lukacs, who has yet to drop a match in conference play and enters the match on a ten game win streak.
At the No 2 singles position, No. 51 Krajicek will battle No. 44 Rux. Krajicek has a perfect record in conference play and enters the match on a nine game win streak.
"I think it is going to come down to who plays the big point better on each court," Denton said. "We are the favorite on some of these courts and they are the favorite on some of these courts, so whoever plays best tomorrow night is going to win."
The match is being played at Baylor Tennis Center in Waco where the Bears have posted a 14-1 record this season. On the road the Aggies have posted a record of 6-4 compared to a 6-1 record at home.
"It will be a tough match for our guys because we are going into a hostile environment and some of our players aren't really accustom to that," Denton said. "One of the determining factors is that they are obviously getting to play at home."
After traveling to Waco to play Baylor, the Aggies will return home for the final two conference matches of the season. The Aggies will host Nebraska on April 10 and rival Texas on April 16 in the Lone Star Showdown.
"We have a great chance of winning the Big 12 and we aren't that much of an underdog," Krajicek said. "I think we are going to go up there and give it our best shot and hopefully come away with a Big 12 title at the end of the year."
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