Alabama
Texas A&M University
Alabama Men’s Tennis Set to Host Texas A&M and LSU This Weekend
3/16/2017 12:00:00 PM | Men's Tennis
The Crimson Tide to take on Texas A&M on Friday at 6 p.m. CT and LSU on Sunday at 1 p.m. CT
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The Alabama men's tennis team continues Southeastern Conference play this weekend as it is set to host a pair of league matches. The Crimson Tide (6-10, 0-4 SEC) will square off with the 11th-ranked Texas A&M Aggies on Friday, March 17, at 6 p.m. CT under the lights at the Alabama Tennis Stadium. Alabama will remain home on Sunday, March 19, when it takes on the LSU Tigers in a match that is set to start at 1 p.m. CT.
Promotions:
Friday's match is International Night, where we will recognize international student-athletes who are competing during the match.
Sunday will be this year's Kids Day, where free pizza will be available to kids 12 years old and under. There will also be a bounce house and a tour of the facility available.
Last Time Out:
Alabama went 0-2 last weekend in its first pair of away SEC contests. The Tide lost to then-No. 16 Mississippi State, 5-2, on Thursday afternoon, before falling to in-state rival Auburn in a 6-1 decision on Saturday afternoon to conclude the weekend.
Alabama Notes:
The Tide has two players nationally ranked in singles play and one doubles tandem that is ranked.
Sophomore Mazen Osama is ranked No. 41 in singles. Osama is second on the team in singles wins since beginning the season, owning an 8-5 mark including an 8-4 and 0-1 record from the No. 1 and No. 2 singles spots, respectively.
Freshman Thibault Cancel is nationally ranked No. 103 in singles action. Cancel has collected seven wins in singles in the dual match season, as he is 0-1 and 7-7 from the No. 1 and No. 2 positions, respectively.
Osama and sophomore Spencer Richey teamed up to achieve a No. 66 national ranking in doubles play after posting a 6-6 record to start the dual match season. The pair's six wins together marks the most doubles wins by a duo on the team so far this season with all matches coming from the No. 1 doubles position.
The Tide has 33 singles wins in dual match play, and it has 16 victories in doubles since the start of the spring season. Freshman Edson Ortiz leads the team with the most singles wins since beginning dual match play with a 9-6 mark. Ortiz is 3-4, 1-1, and 5-1 from the No. 3, No. 4 and No. 5 singles positions, respectively.
Texas A&M Notes:
Texas A&M enters Friday's contest with a 10-3 overall record, including an undefeated mark in conference play at 4-0. Last weekend, the Aggies topped Vanderbilt, 6-1, on Friday, before going on to outlast then-No. 18 Kentucky in a 4-3 decision on Sunday. Texas A&M had a doubleheader that Sunday, as it went on shutout Prairie View A&M, 7-0, later that evening. The Aggies' other two league wins came against Florida and South Carolina. Texas A&M has two singles players and one doubles duo that are nationally ranked. Arthur Rinderknech and Jordi Arconada are ranked No. 8 and No. 115 in singles, respectively, while Rinderknech and Max Lunkin teamed up to earn a No. 22 ranking in doubles.
LSU Notes:
LSU will arrive to Tuscaloosa with a 5-9 overall record, including a 1-3 mark in league play. Sunday's contest against Alabama marks the only match of the weekend for the Tigers. LSU has two singles players that are nationally ranked, as Justin Butsch and Jordan Daigle are ranked No. 43 and No. 47, respectively.
Series History:
When Alabama and Texas A&M face each other on Friday it will mark the 12th time the two programs have met, dating back to the 1973 season. The Aggies hold an 11-0 advantage in the series. Last year, Texas A&M topped Alabama in a 6-1 decision.
When the Tide and the Tigers square off against each other on Sunday it will mark the 60th time the two schools have faced each other. LSU holds a 36-23 advantage in the series. Last year, Alabama outlasted the Tigers in a 4-3 thriller.
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Players Mentioned
