Following a 1-1 record in the state of Alabama last weekend, No. 24 Texas A&M aimed to finish off its three-match road trip on a high note. The Aggies did just that and then some, as they ended up swapping out their rackets for brooms in the Bayou.
The maroon and white met No. 38 LSU at the LSU Tennis Complex in Baton Rouge, La., on Friday, April 8. In a top-40 match between SEC rivals, the Aggies made it look easy against the Tigers.
Unlike the first two matches of A&M’s road trip, the Aggies grabbed the point in doubles. LSU started with a 6-4 set win by graduate Gabriel Diaz Freire and junior Kent Hunter. A&M then followed up with a set win of its own, 7-5 by freshman Stefan Storch and junior Austin Abbrat. In the rubber set, the Aggies secured the victory behind a 7-5 win provided by the No. 61 duo of sophomore Kenner Taylor and junior Noah Schachter.
As the match turned to singles, A&M sophomore Raphael Perot continued to perform at a high level for the maroon and white. In his match, he annihilated LSU graduate Vlad Lobak in straight sets, 6-1, 6-0, to give the Aggies a 2-0 lead.
A&M freshman Luke Casper followed suit with a win in straight sets, 6-3, 6-3, to give the Aggies a commanding 3-0 lead. A&M sophomore Matthis Ross delivered the match-sealing point with a tough 6-3, 7-6 straight sets victory to give the Aggies a 4-0 advantage.
A&M junior No. 104 Guido Marson turned in yet another straight sets win, 6-4, 6-4, for the Aggies to give them a 5-0 lead. A&M freshman Giulio Perego made it 6-0 after he rallied for a 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 set win over LSU’s Diaz Freire.
Looking for a sweep for the first time this season in SEC play, A&M No. 80 Schachter came through with a hard-fought 7-5, 6-7, 1-0 set win over LSU sophomore No. 33 Ronald Hohmann.
“Any time you win 7-0 on the road in the SEC you have had a great day,” A&M coach Steve Denton told 12thMan.com. “I thought our team handled the horrendously windy conditions early in the match to gain the upper hand. On almost every court we won the majority of the big points, which was very encouraging to see.”
The impressive win moved A&M to 19-10 on the season and 6-3 in SEC competition. The Tigers dropped to 13-9 on the season and 3-7 in SEC play following the blowout loss.
A&M will return back home to host a doubleheader at Mitchell Tennis Center on Sunday, April 10. The Aggies will face No. 35 Ole Miss at 1 p.m., and UTRGV at 6 p.m.