COLLEGE STATION – The 9th-ranked Texas A&M men’s tennis team defeated the Arkansas Razorbacks 4-0 in front of a season-high 405 fans at the George P. Mitchell Tennis Center Friday evening. The Aggies maintained a stronghold on second place in the Southeastern Conference ahead of next month’s SEC Tournament in College Station.
The Aggies improved to 12-3 overall and 7-1 in SEC competition with the win, Arkansas falls to 11-10 and 1-6 in league play.
“A win like this is good to showcase the depth that this team has,” Texas A&M head coach Steve Denton said. “Our mantra has to be ‘Next man up.’ We had a lot of guys come into the lineup and get off to a good start in the match.”
The maroon and white captured the doubles point to open the match for the 12th time this season, moving to 10-2 when starting matches up 1-0. The senior duo ofJeremy Efferding and Jordan Szabo wasted little time winning on court one, the nation’s 32nd-ranked duo swept Jovan Parlic and Giammarco Micolani 6-0 in just under 20 minutes. The win was the senior pair’s fourth in a row and 10th this spring.
“I was extremely pleased with how Jordan and Jeremy came out and really took care of business in doubles,” Denton added. “Once adrenaline kicked in and they were excited to play on court one, they played really well. It was nice to be able to showcase two of our seniors on court one tonight.”
A&M’s remarkable freshman tandem of AJ Catanzariti and Arthur Rinderknechclinched the point, 6-4 over David Herrerias and Juan Marino. The youthful duo improved to 10-1 in dual matches and an impressive 7-1 against league opponents.
The maroon and white carried momentum into singles play, taking the first set on five of six courts. Junior Shane Vinsant worked quickly to double the A&M point total, winning 6-0, 6-2 on court one. Vinsant, ranked No. 67, improved to 4-4 against ranked opponents this year, besting No. 81 Micolani. The Keller native captured his third straight win, improving to 4-2 in SEC action.
“Shane played a really good player from Arkansas on court one tonight,” Denton voiced. “Micolani has had some really good results this year and has an ATP ranking. Shane played pretty well and it shows to our guys that even when everything is going perfect and they can adjust their game a little bit. I think Shane came out and played a little more first-strike tennis today instead of playing more defensive.”
Freshman Jordi Arconada secured the Aggies third point of the night, outdueling Johan den Toom 6-4, 7-5 on court four. Friday’s win was the third this spring for the Puerto Rico native, improving to 2-1 against conference opposition.
As play wound down the race was on to secure the fourth and final point of the evening. Szabo, Catanzariti and sophomore Max Lunkin were all on match point, but Lunkin edged in front of his teammates to clinch the team victory. The Moscow native improved to 6-1 in duals and 3-1 in the SEC, defeating Herrerias 6-4, 6-3 on court five.
“It’s really good for Max to get the clinch win tonight,” Denton pontificated. “He puts in a lot of extra work at practice because he really wants to be on the court and compete for us. He has had a lot of success when he is in the lineup and has been very reliable. He really deserves the win tonight with how hard he works.”
The Aggies will finish out the weekend within the friendly confines of the Mitchell Tennis Center hosting No. 13 Ole Miss at noon on Sunday, followed by a 4 p.m. appointment with No. 74 UTSA.
“Our next order of business is Ole Miss, they beat us last year 4-3 in Oxford and I know they have a really good team again this year,” Denton articulated. “I know they will come in here excited to play against us and we have to be ready for a tough match.”
Visit 12thMan.com for more information on Texas A&M men’s tennis. Aggie fans also can keep up to date with the A&M men’s tennis team on Twitter by following @AggieMTEN or on Facebook at Facebook.com/AggieMensTennis.
#9 Texas A&M 4, #62 Arkansas 0
Singles – Order of Finish (1, 4, 5)
1. #67 Shane Vinsant (TAMU) def. #81 Giammarco Micolani (ARK) 6-0, 6-2
2. Arthur Rinderknech (TAMU) vs. Jovan Parlic (ARK) 4-6, 6-3, 0-1, unfinished
3. #79 AJ Catanzariti (TAMU) vs. William Albanese (ARK) 6-1, 6-6 (4-5), unfinished
4. Jordi Arconada (TAMU) def. Johan den Toom (ARK) 6-4, 7-5
5. Max Lunkin (TAMU) def. David Herrerias (ARK) 6-4, 6-3
6. Jordan Szabo (TAMU) vs. Juan Marino (ARK) 6-4, 5-2, unfinished
Doubles – Order of Finish (1, 3)
1. #32 Jeremy Efferding/Jordan Szabo (TAMU) def. Jovan Parlic/Giammarco Micolani (ARK) 6-0
2. Max Lunkin/Shane Vinsant (TAMU) vs. Johan den Toom/William Albanese (ARK) 6-5, unfinished
3. AJ Catanzariti/Arthur Rinderknech (TAMU) def. David Herrerias/Juan Marino (ARK) 6-4
Story courtesy of Texas A&M Athletics