Coming off of back-to-back losses against No. 4 Ohio State and Pepperdine, No. 14 Texas A&M men’s tennis was determined to make a statement at the Styslinger/Altec Tennis Complex in Dallas at the ITA National Team Indoor Championships. After a frustrating loss to No. 3 Texas in the opening round, the Aggies’ new-found motivation carried them past No. 20 Michigan and Kentucky in the consolation bracket.

A&M fought hard but failed to succeed in the first round of the tournament. While the Aggies’ No. 71 senior JC Roddick was able to secure a point in his singles match, errors and failing to serve big cost the Aggies, and they ultimately fell to Texas, 4-1.

Following its first round loss, A&M moved down to the consolation bracket where it took on No. 20 Michigan. After a promising doubles performance, the Aggies momentum continued as they refused to drop a set in singles to secure their first sweep of the season, 4-0.

​“We were staying aggressive and being positive out there,” coach Steve Denton said. “It’s never easy when you had a tough match on the first day. I think the team that can stay positive out there with a lot of energy has a better chance to win, and I thought the guys did a good job today. We played a complete match throughout the lineup, from top to bottom, in singles and doubles.”

After a spirit-lifting match against Michigan, A&M found itself matched up with No. 8 Kentucky in its final match of the tournament. 

The Aggies did not disappoint the 12th Man. Perseverance and grit were the keys on the final as, after falling behind by a point in singles, the Maroon and White fought back to claim three straight points on their way to a 4-2 victory over the Wildcats.

Beginning with doubles play, the Aggies’ junior Togan Tokac and freshman Theo Papamalamis put on a clinic on Court 1. As if winning 64% of all points wasn’t enough, they also committed no unforced errors on their way to dropping just a single game against the Wildcats’ juniors Jaden Weekes and Martin Breysach to claim the set, 6-1.

Court 3 was a completely different story. While A&M’s sophomore Tiago Pires and rising-freshman Ritesh Patil played some solid tennis, Kentucky’s freshman Antoine Ghibaudo and junior Charlelie Cosnet displayed incredible teamwork. After breaking twice in the set, Kentucky’s duo would ultimately prevail, 6-2.

All eyes were on Court 2 as it determined who took the first point of the day. After breaking early in the set, the Aggies’ duo of senior Luke Casper and Roddick looked to be in control of the set before the Wildcats stormed back. Just a couple games after going down a break, Kentucky’s sophomores Eli Stephenson and Jack Loutit broke back to get serve. Both teams held, leading up to a final-set tiebreak. 

While the set was very close, the tiebreak was anything but. A&M jumped out to a 6-0 advantage before a strong serve from Casper sealed the 7-2 victory, claiming the set and the first point of the day for the Maroon and White, 7(7)-6(2). 

Moving onto singles play on Court 5, Tokac was the first solo to strike for the Aggies. Using his incredible net game and forehand brilliance, Tokac was able to steal the first set from the Wildcats’ sophomore Matt Rankin in a tiebreak before cruising to a straight-set victory, 7(7)-6(1), 6-3.

A&M’s third point came from Patil on Court 6. Patil started off on fire, launching forehand winners and overhead smashes to break twice and take the first set against Breysach. After dropping the second set, Patil fought back to regain momentum, ultimately winning in three sets, 6-2, 2-6, 6-3.

Pires sealed the final point for the Maroon and White. After dropping the first set, Pires began to hit a broader variety of shots. From striking forehands and backhands down the line to volleys and smashes, Pires did it all to comeback against Stephenson to clinch the victory, 3-6, 6-1, 6-1.

“I think we showed a lot of Aggie fight today,” Denton said. “We faced a lot of adversity in this match. Kentucky is a tough-minded team that knows how to win tight matches, but our guys dug deep and found a way to overcome some deficits. These guys really care about each other, and I thought that made a big difference today in turning around a couple of matches.”

The Aggies will be back in action as they travel home to the Mitchell Tennis Center to host the LSU Tigers on Saturday, Feb. 22.