The A&M tennis teams continue their seasons on Friday, the men’s team returns home after a perfect road trip while the women’s team prepares for its first match of the ITA National Team Indoor Championships.
After coming off their first loss of the season, the Aggie women have another tough matchup with No. 7 Virginia. A&M head coach Mark Weaver said that despite the setback, his team has no reason to worry.
“Going into the the national indoors, this shouldn’t affect our confidence, so I’m not worried from that standpoint,” Weaver said. “I do feel like it does give us a really good feel of playing an indoor team.”
The A&M women’s team will get at least three opportunities to make a splash in the national rankings and work their way back to the top five. They will have their work cut out for them against Virginia, which boasts a 3-1 record and a lethal singles roster.
The lineup includes 4th ranked Danielle Collins, 8th ranked Julia Elbaba and 30th ranked Stephanie Nauta. The Cavaliers are coming off an upset loss to South Carolina.
For the men, they look to stay perfect at home with a Friday matchup against UT Rio Grande Valley. It also further determines seeding for the men’s ITA National Indoor Championships, where the Aggies previously qualified in a win over Boise State. Head Coach Steve Denton said that the upcoming matches are a good preparation for the real season as conference play looms around the corner.
“The guys really had this in mind heading into the season,” Denton said. “Making the round of 16 at the best indoor tournament allows us to see where we are at and find out what we need to keep working on as we move closer to the SEC schedule and then the NCAA Tournament.”
UT Rio Grande Valley will travel to College Station with a 2-2 record and are coming off a loss to SMU. The match will be a good opportunity for Denton to experiment with some different doubles teams and further play with the depth, particularly the younger players on the roster.
The women’s match is set to begin at 6:30 p.m. in Madison, Wisconsin while the men square off at the Mitchell Tennis Center in College Station at noon.
