Entering its second doubleheader of the weekend, the Texas A&M men’s tennis team took advantage of some more favorable weather than on Friday. On Sunday, March 13, the Aggies extended their win streak to four, making A&M coach Steve Denton the winningest coach in program history.
With wins over Mississippi State and Abilene Christian, Denton’s career record improved to 320-135 in 16 seasons, two wins above A&M Hall of Famer David Kent.
“God has really blessed me and given [me] the opportunity to lead this program, and it has been a privilege for me to lead the Aggies,” Denton said. “It has been so amazing to be a part of all of these wins, and I am very thankful.”
The long-time head coach received praise from multiple coaches across the nation after achieving his 319th win, a victory over Mississippi State that improved the Aggies’ SEC record to a perfect 3-0.
The matchup with the Bulldogs started off with a quick snatching of the doubles point, a strong point from the Aggies this season. With a 1-0 lead, A&M won on four of the six singles courts for the team’s 12th win and third in a row.
The strongest outing came from A&M junior Guido Marson, whose matchup on Court 4 was won dominantly by a score of 6-1, 6-0. The most impressive win, however, came from junior Noah Schachter; he took down Mississippi State graduate student Florian Broska, the 25th-ranked singles player in the nation.
Despite the festivities and the praise showering Denton and the Aggies, the show continued later that day with a 6 p.m. matchup against a then-4-9 Abilene Christian team.
A&M took the opportunity to let some of its younger athletes shine in the second matchup of the day, and they did not disappoint.
Between the duo of Schachter and sophomore Kenner Taylor, and the duo of junior Austin Abbrat and sophomore Stefan Storch, the Aggies outscored the Wildcats 12-2 in doubles play.
With the foot already on the gas pedal, A&M did not let up. The Aggies won all six courts of singles action to complete the full sweep over ACU, not even conceding a single contest beyond two sets.
Freshman Giulio Perego on Court 1 had a highlight performance, taking down ACU freshman Daniel Morozov handily in a decisive 6-0, 6-1 bout.
The Aggies will continue their pattern of home doubleheaders with their fifth in a row taking place on Tuesday, March 15. They will take on system-affiliate Prairie View A&M at noon before facing off with No. 2 Ohio State.
The Aggies are 0-5 in their last five matches against ranked teams, including a loss to another team ranked second in the nation, which Tennessee was at the time.