“Building Champions” is the mantra around Texas A&M’s athletic department these days. And with conference and national championships rolling in from every angle, the Aggie men’s tennis team will look to add to that tally with a strong performance at the ITA National Team Indoor Championships this weekend in Seattle.
The No. 10 Aggies earned the invitation, along with 15 other schools, by defeating Mississippi State and Miami (FL) during ITA Kick-Off Weekend at the Mitchell Tennis Center. This marks the first time the Aggies have been invited. Texas A&M was a site for Kick-Off Weekend last year, but the Aggies were upset in their first match against Fresno State and missed the tournament. But the Aggies are making strides to add their name to the list of elite teams.
“It’s a big step for us,” said Head Coach Steve Denton. “Last year we were disappointed that we weren’t able to go, I think that we were the highest ranked team in the country last year that didn’t play at the indoors. So I think it was really important for this program to take this step and play against the top teams in the country and see how we’re going to fare against them.”
The Aggies have already tested themselves against a top team indoors once this season. They dropped a tightly contested 4-3 match against archrival Texas, ranked No. 5 in the nation, at the Downtown Club at the Met in Houston earlier this month. But the team believes that going toe to toe against, and nearly beating, another team that will be playing at the championships is sure to pay dividends in Seattle.
“I think [the Texas match] was very important,” Denton said. “It was a very close match. We could have won that match, but kind of let them get off the hook. I know the guys as a result of that will be more determined.”
In order for that determination to pay off, though, Denton said he’ll need more consistency from the tail end of the lineup.
“Every point is so important,” Denton said. “We let the doubles point get away from us a little bit in the Texas match, so we’ve been focusing on doubles trying to get ready. I think all those things, with the guys in the back of the lineup stepping up, will hopefully make us a tough out up there.
“We’re a good team, and I’m hopeful that we’ll go up there and play well against all of the other top teams in the country.”