Sunday, 04/14/2013

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The 14th-ranked Texas A&M men’s tennis team welcomes sixth-ranked Ole Miss to the George P. Mitchell Center to determine the SEC Western Division champion. Prior to the match, A&M will honor its lone senior, Niall Angus, for senior day. With a win, the Maroon and White would tie the Rebels for the division championship. The Aggies enter the final contest of the regular season with a record of 15-11 and 6-5 in conference action while the University of Mississippi comes in at 15-6 and 7-4 in SEC play. 

Free streaming video and live scoring will be available on AggieAthletics.com

All three doubles pairs for the Aggies boast double-digit win totals and at least five conference wins. The tandem of junior Junior Ore and sophomore Jackson Withrow, the ninth-ranked tandem in the nation, sits at 14-7 and 6-4 in conference action with all 14 wins coming from the top doubles position. The 26th-ranked duo of Harry Adams and Shane Vinsant is tied for the team lead in doubles victories at 14 wins against seven losses. The freshman duo boasts a 7-3 record in conference action and a 12-7 mark from the No. 2 position. Rounding out the projected doubles lineup for Texas A&M is Jeremy Efferding and Jordan Szabo with a 12-8 record on the season and a 5-3 mark in SEC play. All of the sophomore pair’s conference decisions have come from the No. 3 line.

78th-ranked Vinsant leads the team in singles wins with a 16-7 record, including a 6-3 mark in conference matches.  The Keller, Texas, native sits at 13-7 from the No. 4 line.

40th-ranked Efferding is the highest-ranked singles player for the Aggies. The Boca Raton, Florida, native has knocked off the No. 1 and No. 18 ranked players this season on his way to a 14-8 record in the spring and sits at 5-4 from the top singles position. The sophomore also holds a 6-4 mark in conference play.

No. 119 Adams is tied for third on the team in singles wins with a record of 12-8. The freshman holds a 6-3 mark in conference action and a 9-5 record from the No. 3 position.

Szabo also boasts a double-digit win total for the spring, holding a 12-8 record, with a 5-2 mark in conference play and sits at 5-4 from the No. 6 line.

Ore (9-12, 5-4 SEC) and Withrow (8-5, 3-1 SEC) round out the projected singles lineup for Texas A&M.

Ole Miss is currently tied for second place in the SEC standings and looks to rebound after dropping three of its last four conference matches.

Leading the way for the Rebels is 15th-ranked Nik Scholtz with an 11-3 record on the spring, going 5-2 in conference matches. The sophomore has played the top-singles position in every match for Ole Miss. The Rebels  features three players with a 9-5 mark in 14th-ranked Jonas Lutjen (No. 2 line), 95th-ranked William Kallberg (5-1 at No. 4) and Stefan Lindmark (2-4 at No. 3). Johan Backstrom has handled the majority of the duties at the No. 5 line, going 6-9 overall and 5-4 from that position. Rounding out the projected singles lineup for the Rebels is Adrian Skogeng at 4-8 with all decisions coming at the No. 6 line.

In doubles, the University of Mississippi boasts the No. 4 tandem in the country in Lutjen and Scholtz with a record of 14-2, all at the No. 1 line. The 71st-ranked pair of Backstrom and Lindmark holds a 10-7 record overall with a 4-3 mark at the No. 2 line. Rounding out the projected doubles lineup for the Rebels is Kallberg and Zach Wilder with a 0-3 record on the season.

Texas A&M will be in action later this week when it travels to Oxford for the SEC tournament. Stay tuned to AggieAthletics.com and follow @AggieMTEN on Twitter for information on the Aggies quest for their first SEC men’s tennis championship.