Texas Tech University Athletics
Red Raiders Close Out Non-Conference Season With Three Matches
March 22, 2012 | Men's Tennis
Senior Gonzalo Escobar could become Texas Tech's all-time wins leader this weekend.
March 22, 2012
LUBBOCK, Texas - No. 29 Texas Tech will host three matches this weekend at the McLeod Tennis Center, as the Red Raiders face UTSA, Midwestern State and New Mexico State.
All three previous home matches have been played at The Falls Athletic Club. The Red Raiders will host a doubleheader on Friday, as Texas Tech plays UTSA at noon, followed by Midwestern State at 5 p.m. The Red Raiders will then host New Mexico State on Sunday at 11:30 a.m. Admission is free to the public.
"It is a very important weekend for us, based on the way we finished last week" said Red Raider head coach Tim Siegel. "It is very important for us to play very well. UTSA is a much improved team this season."
As Texas Tech (8-6) looks to finally play a match outdoors at the McLeod Tennis Center, senior Gonzalo Escobar could secure his 91st career singles win, making him the all-time leader at Texas Tech.
"I think it just proves how consistent he has been over his career," added Siegel. "The best thing about Gonzalo is where he was when got here as a No. 3 or No. 4 player and since then, he has won our regional twice been ranked in the top 15 in the country and consistently played No. 1 and No. 2 for the last two years."
Escobar, a staple in the Red Raider lineup for the last four years, has 90 career singles victories, tying him with Bojan Szumanski, who recorded 90 victories from 2004-08. Escobar set the single-season standard last season, when he notched 29 wins.
The native of Manta, Ecuador, notched 15 wins as a freshman, 24 wins as a sophomore, 29 wins as a junior and has 22 wins this season. Escobar is currently ranked 59th nationally and has been nationally ranked for 21 of the possible 37 ranking periods he has been at Texas Tech.
Escobar has a career record of 90-46 (66.2 percent) and has won the ITA Texas Regional Championship as both a junior and senior. He is currently ranked third in the ITA Texas Region.
He has also been one of the Red Raiders most consistent doubles players over the last four years and is the all-time leader in doubles victories with 67. He passed Szumanski for the all-time lead in doubles wins when Escobar teamed with Vitor Manzini for an 8-3 win against Tulane earlier this year.
THIS WEEKEND'S OPPONENTS
The Red Raiders start off the weekend against UTSA of the Southland Conference at noon on Friday. The Roadrunners are currently 7-8 on the season and have won two of its last three matches. Three Roadrunners have won back-to-back singles tilts, including sophomore Yannick Junger, who owns a team-best 10-5 record this spring. Meanwhile, junior Tyler Brown and freshman David Kelleher each have netted nine victories. The duo of Brown and junior Martin Ayala have collected a team-high eight wins in doubles action.
Texas Tech will then face Midwestern State at 5 p.m. Friday. The Mustangs are 5-7 on the season and are currently No. 30 in the ITA NCAA Division II rankings.
Texas Tech will close out the three-match homestand with New Mexico State at 11:30 a.m. on Sunday. NMSU is currently 5-9 on the season and mired in a six-match losing streak, including a 6-1 loss to Fresno State on Tuesday. The Aggies face Hawai'I in Fresno, Calif., on Thursday and UTSA on Saturday in Lubbock before taking on the Red Raiders.
The Red Raiders will open Big 12 Conference play on March 31 in Waco, when they take on No. 35 Baylor at 1 p.m.
