The Aggie men’s tennis team will continue their fall play with a visit to Rice University to participate in the USTA/ITA Texas Regional Championships beginning this Saturday.

This tournament will provide the Aggies with some quality competition in preparation for the spring SEC season, where the Aggies will look to defend their SEC crown. These Aggies have a new look to them now, with senior leader from last year Jeremy Efferding leaving due to graduation. Head coach Steve Denton said he was confident in his team’s chances.

“I feel pretty good about this team,” Denton said. “I think the guys that we have are better than they were last year. We’ll see if that’s good enough along with the new pieces that we will be adding to the puzzle this year. I feel like we could really have a good team again.”

Top Aggie performers from last year such as sophomores AJ Catanzariti and Arthur Rinderknech will use this tournament as an opportunity to work on their individual games in singles play.

“I’m just looking to get some match play in,” Catanzariti said. “In the fall, a lot of the guys look to get better with their games so they can really compete in the spring as a team.”

Along with the two sophomores, one player that Denton will be looking for leadership of this team is senior Shane Vinsant. Vinsant has been putting in extra work during the fall to be able to carry a big load for this tennis team.

“I’m trying to become more of an all-court player to where I can attack more and be more versatile,” Vinsant said. “I feel like I defend really well, and my offense is getting there so it’s about continuing to work on that and attacking people from all angles.”
Match play for the Aggies begins Saturday.