A busy week in Aggieland continued as the Texas A&M men’s tennis team welcomed the Oklahoma Sooners to College Station for their home opener on Saturday, Feb. 18, at the Mitchell Tennis Center.
The Aggies treated their fans to a strong showing during the doubles point against the Sooners. Junior duo Pierce Rollins and Kenner Taylor won first for the maroon and white, defeating seniors Justin Schlageter and Baptiste Anselmo 6-2. The Aggies then grabbed late breaks on both remaining courts. Seniors Noah Schachter and Trey Hilderbrand secured the doubles point with their 6-3 win on Court 1. The Ags held match point on Court 2 when play concluded.
Giulio Perego got the first win of singles play in the soon-to-be conference matchup. The sophomore from Italy gave the Aggies a 2-0 lead with his 6-3, 6-4 win against senior Justin Schlageter on Court 3. Perego’s teammates quickly followed him up with two more straight-set wins to give the Aggies a 4-0 lead and the win. The Sooners took two of the final three matches to give the contest a final score of 5-2.
“It was great to be at home and be in front of the 12th Man and we certainly appreciate their support,” coach Steve Denton said to 12thMan.com. “I thought we played good doubles today on all three courts, I thought three doubles was exceptional and they set us up to secure the point. We did a good job after that, claiming five of the first sets in singles and kept the pressure on them there and didn’t let up. I think this win is a great stepping stone for us, especially heading into our match with Texas next week.”
Coach Denton and his team move on to their penultimate game of the non-conference slate and set their sights on a matchup with the 7th-ranked Texas Longhorns in Austin on Sunday, Feb. 26.