Texas A&M men’s tennis took on some of the nation’s top players in a tight battle during the annual Gamecock Scramble.
The Aggies faced Wake Forest, Florida State, Presbyterian College and host South Carolina, battling almost the entire roster for a chance to make their final sets of the fall season.
On day one of the tournament, the Aggies secured eight wins, including six wins in singles action against opponents Wake Forest and Presbyterian College. Junior Anish Sriniketh posted the first win for the singles division against sophomore Sebastian Dominguez from Presbyterian. No. 62 junior Noah Schachter topped Demon Deacon junior Taha Baadi in straight sets.
Head coach Steve Denton said it was a solid day for the maroon and white.
“Noah [Schachter] continues to impress with a straight set win against a quality opponent,” Denton said. “He continues to gain confidence in his new role as leader of the team. I like the attitude and fight of this team; we just need to put our heads down and compete and good things will happen.”
In the doubles events, partners Sriniketh and sophomore Rahul Dhokia, as well as duo junior Matthis Ross and freshman Giulio Perego, claimed tiebreakers against Presbyterian and Florida State, respectively.
Day two of the tournament featured 11 wins for the maroon and white against a combination of opponents, including seven singles victories and four doubles. Of the seven singles triumphs, freshman Luke Casper won in straight sets against senior Max Benson from Presbyterian.
Despite another strong day for A&M, Denton said day two showed there is still room to improve.
“This tournament has shed some light on what we still need to work on as a team,” Denton said. “The team for the most part competed well today. In some matches, we need to play a bit smarter, but I think that will come with more matches.”
Day three, facing a top-10 ranked Gamecock team, had five wins for the Aggies with a three-set win against sophomore Carter Morgan from South Carolina. With four players ranked in the top-50, the Gamecocks served as a tough opponent for A&M.
“Today we got a taste of what it is like to face a top-10 level team on the road in South Carolina,” Denton said. “The team competed hard and is making progress and learning what we as coaches expect from them. We just have to go back to work and try to clean up some things and continue to improve. So far the fall has been very productive, and we just have to build on that.”
The tournament in Columbia, S.C., ends the fall season for the program. However, A&M will return to the court from Jan. 15-17 for the Sherwood Intercollegiate in Sherwood, Calif.