Denton sets Program Record as Aggies Defeat Mississippi State and ACU
BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Texas A&M head coach Steve Denton claimed the 319th win of his storied career in Aggieland as A&M defeated Mississippi State, 5-2, Sunday afternoon at the Mitchell Tennis Center. In the evening match, A&M defeated Abilene Christian 7-0.The Aggies improved to 13-6 on the season and 3-0 in SEC matches, while the Bulldogs fell to 11-6 overall and 1-3 in league play and the Wildcats moved to 4-10 this spring.
Denton passed Aggie Hall of Famer David Kent on the all-time wins ledger, moving to 320-135 in his 16th season at the helm of the A&M program. Kent tallied a 318-161 record across 18 seasons in Bryan-College Station.
“God has really blessed me and given the opportunity to lead this program and it has been a privilege for me to lead the Aggies,” head coach Steve Denton said. “I have had so many good people to work with over the years, beginning with Bill Byrne trusting me, a Longhorn, to come here and lead this program. We have had such great players and great coaches here with me; Bob [McKinley], Rick [Meyers], Shane [Vinsant] and Kevin [O’Shea]. It has been so amazing to be a part of all of these wins and I am very thankful.”
The Aggies raced out to a 1-0 advantage against the Bulldogs after claiming doubles wins on courts one and three. A&M’s Raphael Perot and Giulio Perego served up a bagel, 6-0, to Alberto Colas and Carles Hernandez followed by a 6-2 win by Noah Schachter and Kenner Taylor over Florian Broska and Gregor Ramskogler to clinch the match’s first point.
In singles play, A&M controlled the pace of play by claiming four of six first sets and converting all four of them into straight set victories. Guido Marson throttled Bautista Vilicich, 6-1, 6-0, on court four to double the A&M lead. Perego followed with a 6-4, 6-0 win on court five over Ramskogler and the clincher was delivered by Luke Casper, 6-3, 6-4 on court six over Colas.
After the team match was decided, Schachter posted the highest ranked win of his career 6-2, 7-6(6) over No. 25 Broska. Mississippi State took the final two courts to make the final score 5-2 in A&M’s favor.
In the nightcap, A&M made quick work of the doubles point, winning 6-0 on court one and 6-2 on court two. In singles action, A&M found points from Perego, Stefan Storch, Mathis Bondaz, Pierce Rollins, Rahul Dhokia and Austin Abbrat.
The Aggies wrap up their 11-match home stand with a double header on Tuesday, March 15, against No. 2 Ohio State and Prairie View A&M. The Aggies and Panthers will face off at noon followed by a 6 p.m. matchup with the Buckeyes.
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WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
Billy Pate, Princeton Head Coach, ITA Board Member
“I want to congratulate Coach Denton on becoming the all-time winningest coach in Aggie men’s tennis history. He was already a legendary figure in the world of tennis prior to his college coaching tenure. His unrivaled success at A&M further adds to the wonderful legacy marked by national championship caliber players and teams. Most telling, Coach Denton has achieved this well-deserved milestone with the highest degree of integrity and a tireless work ethic through his 16 years of leadership in College Station.”
David Roditi, TCU Head Coach
“Congratulations to Coach Denton on becoming the winningest men’s tennis coach in Texas A&M history. We have had the privilege of competing against his teams and we contributed to some of those wins. Steve and his coaching partners have been one of the best and most consistent programs in the last 15 years. Congratulations!”
Josh Goffi, South Carolina Head Coach
“Yet another major accomplishment for one of the all-time greats in the game of tennis. Congratulations to a great friend and mentor of mine for becoming the all-time wins leader at A&M. Keep it coming Steve!”
TENNIS MATCH RESULTS
Mississippi State vs Texas A&M
3/13/2022 at BCS, TX
(Mitchell Tennis Center)
Texas A&M 5, Mississippi State 2
Singles competition
1. Noah Schachter (TAMU) def. #25 Florian Broska (MS) 6-2, 7-6 (8-6)
2. #81 Nemanja Malesevic (MS) def. #98 Raphael Perot (TAMU) 6-4, 7-6 (7-3)
3. Carles Hernandez (MS) def. Matthis Ross (TAMU) 6-3, 6-4
4. Guido Marson (TAMU) def. Bautista Vilicich (MS) 6-1, 6-0
5. Giulio Perego (TAMU) def. Gregor Ramskogler (MS) 6-4, 6-0
6. Luke Casper (TAMU) def. Alberto Colas (MS) 6-3, 6-4
Doubles competition
1. Noah Schachter/Kenner Taylor (TAMU) def. Florian Broska/Gregor Ramskogler (MS) 6-2
2. Matthis Ross/Stefan Storch (TAMU) vs. #65 Davide Tortora/Nemanja Malesevic (MS) 4-2, unfinished
3. Giulio Perego/Raphael Perot (TAMU) def. Alberto Colas/Carles Hernandez (MS) 6-0
Match Notes:
Mississippi State 11-6, 1-3
Texas A&M 12-6, 3-0
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1); Singles (4,5,6,1,3,2)
Tennis Match Results
Abilene Christian vs Texas A&M
3/13/2022 at BCS, TX
(Mitchell Tennis Center)
Texas A&M 7, Abilene Christian 0
Singles competition
1. Giulio Perego (TAMU) def. Daniel Morozov (ACU) 6-0, 6-1
2. Stefan Storch (TAMU) def. Dario Kmet (ACU) 7-6 (7-3), 6-4
3. Mathis Bondaz (TAMU) def. Tyler Stewart (ACU) 6-2, 6-2
4. Pierce Rollins (TAMU) def. Savan Chhabra (ACU) 7-5, 6-4
5. Rahul Dhokia (TAMU) def. Cesar Barranquero (ACU) 6-1, 6-4
6. Austin Abbrat (TAMU) def. Oswaldo Cano (ACU) 6-3, 6-2
Doubles competition
1. Kenner Taylor/Noah Schachter (TAMU) def. Daniel Morozov/Dario Kmet (ACU) 6-0
2. Austin Abbrat/Stefan Storch (TAMU) def. Savan Chhabra/Jose Maria Rastrojo (ACU) 6-2
3. Giulio Perego/Pierce Rollins (TAMU) vs. Riley Tran/Benjamin McDonald (ACU) 5-2, unfinished
Match Notes:
Abilene Christian 4-10
Texas A&M 13-6
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2); Singles (1,6,5,3,2,4)
No. 11 Aggies Roar in Singles to Defeat Ole Miss, 5-2
OXFORD, Miss. – No. 11 Texas A&M women’s tennis fell behind early in the singles competition, but roared back to secure a 5-2 win over the Ole Miss Rebels on Sunday at the William F. Galtney Indoor Tennis Center.
Texas A&M continues its record-setting march through the 2022 dual match campaign, as the Aggies improve to a program-best 18-1 record through their first 19 matches. A&M is an unblemished 4-0 in Southeastern Conference play and sits atop the league standings. Additionally, the Maroon & White’s nine-match win streak is the longest active run of victories in the SEC. Ole Miss drops to 7-5 overall this season with a 1-3 record in league matches.
Sunday’s action began on the doubles courts, which featured tightly-contested matches at all three positions. The first match of the day went to the Rebels, as Lillian Gabrielsen and Ludmila Kareisova defeated Jeanette Mireles and Gianna Pielet in a 6-4 showing. The Maroon & White responded with wins on courts one and two to seal the point. No. 27-ranked Carson Branstine and Mary Stoiana fought back from a 5-3 deficit to win 7-5 against Anaelle Leclerq-Ficher and Kelsey Mize. The early lead was secured by No. 3 Jayci Goldsmith and Tatiana Makarova, who maintained their composure in a hard-fought 7-5 triumph over Rachel Krzyzak and Sabina Machalova.
Ole Miss capitalized on their home court advantage in the early going of the singles competition, as the Rebels would lock in four-of-six first sets. Makarova applied scoreboard pressure to the Rebels with a 6-4, 6-1 victory on court two over No. 110 Leclerq-Ficher. Goldsmith extended the lead to 3-0 in favor of the Maroon & White, toppling Reka Zadori in a 6-1, 7-5 result.
The Rebels’ early singles advantage quickly evaporated, as A&M crushed Ole Miss in second sets on courts one, three and six. Texas A&M’s 18th win of the season was clinched on court three by No. 80 Stoiana, who rolled through the back half of her match in a 2-6, 6-2, 6-1 win over Kareisova. Ole Miss secured their first point of the match on court five just before No. 41 Branstine defeated No. 79 Machalova. Ole Miss took one more point on court six to finalize the 5-2 score.
UP NEXT
No. 11 Texas A&M women’s tennis returns to the Brazos Valley, as the Maroon & White square off against the Vanderbilt Commodores on Friday, March 18. First serve at the George P. Mitchell Tennis Center is slated for 5 p.m. (CT).
POSTMATCH QUOTES
TEXAS A&M QUOTES
Head Coach Mark Weaver
On the resilience showed by the team…
“I think that these type of matches really build a lot of character for our team. Beating an SEC team in their home indoor facility is extremely difficult, and we haven’t done that in quite a while. We survived a match point in the doubles and survived that early on, and then we weathered multiple first set losses in singles to come back and win 5-2. We found ways to win when we weren’t necessarily playing our best tennis. This experience is going to make us an even stronger team down the stretch of the regular season.”
TENNIS MATCH RESULTS
#11 Texas A&M 5, Ole Miss 2
William F. Galtney Indoor Tennis Center – Oxford, Miss.
SINGLES
1. #41 Carson Branstine (TAMU) def. #79 Sabina Machalova (OM) 3-6, 6-3, 6-3
2. #37 Tatiana Makarova (TAMU) def. #110 Anaelle Leclerq-Ficher (OM) 6-4, 6-1
3. #80 Mary Stoiana (TAMU) def. Ludmila Kareisova (OM) 2-6, 6-2, 6-1
4. Jayci Goldsmith (TAMU) def. Reka Zadori (OM) 6-1, 7-5
5. Rachel Krzyzak (OM) def. Gianna Pielet (TAMU) 6-4, 7-6(2)
6. Lillian Gabrielsen (OM) def. Jeanette Mireles (TAMU) 6-4, 2-6, 7-5
DOUBLES
1. #3 Jayci Goldsmith / Tatiana Makarova (TAMU) vs. Rachel Krzyzak / Sabina Machalova (OM) 7-5
2. #27 Carson Branstine / Mary Stoiana (TAMU) def. Anaelle Leclerq-Ficher / Kelsey Mize (OM) 7-5
3. Lillian Gabrielsen / Ludmila Kareisova (OM) def. Jeanette Mireles / Gianna Pielet (TAMU) 6-4
Order of Finish: Doubles (3,2,1); Singles (2,4,3,5,1,6)
POSTMATCH NOTES
- Texas A&M continues its record-setting march through the 2022 dual match campaign, as the Aggies improve to a program-best 18-1 record with a 4-0 mark in SEC play.
- Ole Miss falls to 7-5 overall with a 1-3 league record in 2022.
- The Aggies improve to 9-3 in the all-time series with Ole Miss with a 7-2 lead since A&M joined the SEC.
- Mark Weaver is now 128-56 in his career as the Texas A&M skipper which began prior to the 2015-16 academic year.