The Texas A&M men’s tennis team has had an up-and-down season, filled with both winning and losing streaks. After back-to-back wins at home at the Mitchell Tennis Center, A&M hit the road on Thursday, March 9, and fell short to No. 9 Georgia.
The Aggies hit the court in Athens, Georgia, prepared for their third matchup in SEC play this season. In doubles, the Aggies had a blazing start and were successful in winning two of the three matchups.
Seniors Noah Schachter and Trey Hilderbrand gave the Aggies an early spark on Court 1, defeating redshirt freshman Ethan Quinn and senior Trent Bryde. The 6-2 victory gave A&M an early lead.
Sophomore Giulio Perego and senior Raphael Perot added to the momentum from Court 3 with a set-clinching win against fifth years Blake Croyder and Britton Johnston. The 7-5 stunner marked the second and final point of the day for the maroon and white.
In singles play, the Aggies battled it out across all six courts but could not secure any victories.
The Bulldogs dominated in singles and gained momentum with wins on Courts 1, 2 and 6. Senior Philip Henning defeated Perot 6-1, 7-5 to give Georgia a spark after falling short in doubles.
Redshirt freshman Ethan Quinn mirrored six points in both rounds of singles to edge out junior Noah Schachter, who scored four points in the first round and two in the second round.
Sealing the deal for the Bulldogs was fifth year Teodor Giusca defeating Aggie junior Pierce Rollins in three sets, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 on Court 5.
The Aggies fought hard, but were unable to clinch the win, losing their second SEC matchup this season, 5-2.
“I thought we started out well by playing very solid in the doubles,” coach Steve Denton said to 12thMan.com. “Georgia is a very good team, and we didn’t extend matches on a couple of courts. They played better on the big points today, which was ultimately the difference in the match. We have another great opportunity on Saturday against Mississippi State, now it’s time to rest up and be ready to compete again.”
The 6-7 Aggies will continue on the road to Starkville, Mississippi, Saturday, March 11. The maroon and white are set to match up against No. 18 Mississippi State at noon.