Texas A&M’s men’s tennis team showed out at the LSU Invitational this weekend in Baton Rouge, tallying a total of 33 wins over the three days of the tournament. In addition to LSU, Arkansas and Mississippi State were among the other SEC schools to compete at the tournament.
The Aggies had a dominant performance on Day 1 of the tournament by accumulating 12 wins overall, nine in singles and three in doubles play.
In their first doubles matchup against SEC opponents this season, senior Valentin Vacherot and sophomore Noah Schachter boasted an 8-5 win over their Arkansas opponents. A&M’s junior Hady Habib and freshman Stefan Storch were also victorious over Arkansas with a score of 8-2.
Sophomore Guido Marson and freshman Pierce Rollins earned the Aggies’ final doubles point of the day with an 8-6 win over Mississippi State.
As for singles play, A&M’s freshman Kenner Taylor dominated the court over two opponents while Juan Carlos Aguilar, Raphael Perot, Marson, Storch, Schachter, Habib and Rollins each had a win as well. Perot celebrated his first win as an Aggie with a victory over his LSU opponent.
A&M coach Steve Denton said he thought the team played well in the first official tournament after coming off an unusually long off-season.
“We got a lot of tennis in today in our first matches of the season,” Denton told 12thman.com. “While there [was] certainly some rust involved, I thought our team competed well. I expect us to play even better tomorrow.”
Day 2 of the tournament brought more success for the maroon and white as the Aggies secured 10 victories, six in singles and four doubles.
Multiple semifinal victories for A&M meant that two of the three singles finals would be an all-Aggie matchup. Habib and Rollins faced off while Aguilar and Schachter went head-to-head.
Habib and Storch, as well as Rollins and Marson, contributed to A&M’s four doubles victories with a pair of 8-4 wins over Mississippi State. Aguilar and Smith defeated Arkansas 9-8, while Taylor and Perot clenched a 9-7 victory over the Razorbacks.
Denton said the team got off to a rough start in doubles on Day 2, but they responded well in the second doubles matches.
“I thought we looked better today overall and we just have to finish strong tomorrow,” Denton told 12thman.com. “It is great to see our guys competing again and I know they are enjoying being out on the road together.”
On the final day of the tournament, the Aggies wrapped up the LSU Invitational by claiming all three singles championships, as well as notching eight other victories.
Aguilar, Schachter and Habib each earned a singles title and will be returning to College Station as champions. Smith, Storch and Taylor also contributed to the team’s win total with victories in the final round of consolation matches.
Denton is proud of the Aggies’ performance this weekend, both as individuals and as a team.
“It was great to win all three draws today in singles,” Denton told 12thman.com. “We played very energetic in the doubles, which was encouraging to see, and then carried that energy into singles.”
The Aggies were also a force to be reckoned with in doubles play as the team earned a perfect 5-0 record in doubles consolation draw. The Aguilar and Smith duo defeated Arkansas 8-3 while Vacherot and Schachter bested Mississippi State 8-6.
Other doubles victories include A&M’s Habib and Storch, as well as Taylor and Perot, dominating Arkansas with 8-2 and 9-8 wins, respectively. Marson and Rollins bested a hybrid team composed of LSU and Mississippi State, 9-7.
“We are all very happy to be competing again and look forward to another great tournament in a couple weeks at Georgia,” Denton told 12thman.com.
The maroon and white will be back in action at the Georgia Invitational in Athens, Georgia, beginning Friday, Oct. 16.