Texas Tech University Athletics
Red Raiders Host Aggies in Conference Opener
March 20, 2008 | Men's Tennis
March 20, 2008
LUBBOCK, Texas - Easter Sunday will feature a battle between two top-25 teams as No. 21 Texas Tech returns to the McLeod Tennis Center to take on No. 19 Texas A&M to begin Big 12 action. The Red Raiders enter the weekend with an impressive 15-2 record, after a nine match win streak was snapped by No. 8 Tulsa in the finals of the Blue-Gray Tennis Classic.
Facing 12 ranked opponents already this season, Tech's most impressive series of wins came last weekend at the prestigious Blue-Gray Tennis Classic held in Montgomery, Ala. The Raiders began the weekend on Thursday as they squeaked by Wisconsin, 4-3, and then edged their first top-20 ranked foe Virginia Commonwealth, 4-2. In the semi-finals Tech rolled past Auburn after sweeping the doubles point and three-straight singles wins, moving into the finals against the No. 8 Tulsa. The Golden Hurricanes proved too much for Tech as they were handed their second loss of the season, falling 4-0.
The Aggies travel to West Texas with the 36-5 series advantage over the Red Raiders, winning last season in College Station 5-2. A&M is 8-5 on the season, with all five losses to top-25 teams. Leading A&M in singles is Junior Connor Pollock who is currently ranked No. 23. Pollock also doubles with Austin Krajicek at No. 1, and the two are ranked 41 in the nation.
This Sunday's match kicks off the first Big 12 men's tennis match of 2008. Every year some of the elite men's tennis programs in the nation consistently hail from Big 12 Conference. Six of the seven teams fall into the latest ITA rankings, with the same six all participating in last year's NCAA Tournament. The seven programs include No. 4 Texas, No. 16 Baylor, No. 19 Texas A&M, No. 21 Texas Tech, No. 24 Oklahoma State, No. 62 Oklahoma, and Nebraska.
Sunday's match begins at 1 p.m., and will include free water bottles and t-shirts, free pizza, and several promotions in between doubles and singles matches sponsored by the Tech Marketing Department. Live updates will be available via the team's Web site, for more information log on to www.texastech.com for more details.
