Looking to continue their five-match win streak, the Texas A&M men’s tennis team traveled to Knoxville, Tennessee to take on the Volunteers on Sunday, March 26. The Aggies, who entered the contest with a 4-2 record in conference play, looked to get their second ranked win of the season against the No. 20 Vols.
The Vols were first on the board after a back-and-forth doubles point. Juniors Pierce Rollins and Kenner Taylor started off strong on the second court, gaining the early break-advantage. After going up 4-2, the duo dropped the next four games in succession to graduate Emile Hudd and sophomore Shunsuke Mitsui, losing the match 6-4.
Meanwhile on the first court, seniors Trey Hilderbrand and Noah Schachter’s streaky start to the season continued as they fell 6-4 to junior Johannus Monday and graduate Pat Harper. The action on Court 3 didn’t finish, but Aggie sophomore Giulio Perego and junior Raphael Perot held a 5-3 advantage at its conclusion.
It was all Vols as matchplay transitioned into singles, as the home team raced to a first-set lead on five of the six matchcourts. The outlier was Perot on Court 2, who won the lone point for the Aggies with his 6-2, 7-6(5) win. The other players in orange kept their momentum going, however, securing straight-set wins on all other courts to give the Volunteers the 6-1 win.
Next up for coach Steve Denton and his team is a trip back home, where they’ll face the Florida Gators on Saturday, April 1st.