Texas A&M
Pepperdine
Men’s Tennis Falls at Pepperdine
Mar 15, 2008 | Men's Tennis
March 15, 2008
The 20th-ranked Texas A&M men?™s tennis team dropped a 5-2 decision to No. 31 Pepperdine at the Ralphs-Straus Tennis Center on Saturday afternoon.
The Aggies got out to a fast start against the Waves, taking a 2-0 lead after doubles and a 6-3, 6-2 win by Wil Spencer over Omar Altman at No. 3 singles. The Waves finished strong however, winning the five remaining singles matches to upset the Aggies.
?We had some success in doubles so things started out looking pretty promising for us,? A&M head coach Steve Denton said. ?We haven?™t had quite as much success as we would have liked so far this year in doubles so we felt good about that. It started us out on right track, but we were only able to win one first set in singles and that was the difference. They were able to seize the momentum back.?
Matt Bain and Mike Beatty teamed together to win the deciding doubles match over Alejandro Moreno and Mahmoud Kamel. Bain and Beatty topped their Pepperdine competitors, 8-3, at No. 3 doubles to earn the first point of the day for the Aggies.
Pepperdine?™s James Lemke got the Waves on the board with a 6-1, 6-2 win over Chris Chirico at No. 4 singles. Andre Begemann pulled the Waves even at two points apiece with a 6-3, 7-5 win over the Aggies?™ Conor Pollock at No. 1 singles. Mahmoud Kamel clinched the win for Pepperdine at No. 5 singles with a 6-2, 7-5 victory over Matt Bain.
?The conditions were definitely blustery today however that happens on both sides of the net,? Denton said. ?I thought (Pepperdine) adjusted to it better than we did. We also haven?™t been as aggressive on the faster courts so far this season and we played on one today. We?™ve got to do a better job of being more aggressive.?
The loss drops the Aggies to 8-5 on the season. A&M returns to College Station this week to put its home undefeated streak on the line against Louisville on Thursday, March 20, at 6 p.m. at the George P. Mitchell Tennis Center. The Aggies will open conference play on the road in Lubbock on Mar. 23, facing a Texas Tech team that upset its way into the semifinals of the Blue-Gray Classic in Montgomery, Ala., on Friday.
(31) PEPPERDINE 5, (20) TEXAS A&M 2
March 15, 2008
at Ralphs-Straus Tennis Center
Malibu, Calif.
SINGLES
No. 1 - (19) Andre Begemann (Pepperdine) def. (31) Conor Pollock (Texas A&M), 6-3, 7-5.
No. 2 - (25) Bassam Beidas (Pepperdine) def. Austin Krajicek (Texas A&M) 6-4, 7-6 (7-0).
No. 3 - Wil Spencer (Texas A&M) def. (97) Omar Altmann (Pepperdine), 6-3, 6-2.
No. 4 - James Lemke (Pepperdine) def. Chris Chirico (Texas A&M), 6-1, 6-2.
No. 5 - Mahmoud Kamel (Pepperdine) def. Matt Bain (Texas A&M), 6-2, 7-5.
No. 6 - Alejandro Moreno (Pepperdine) def. Kayvon Karimi (Texas A&M), 7-5, 7-6 (8-6).
DOUBLES
No. 1 - Altmann-Begemann (Pepperdine) def. Krajicek-Spencer (Texas A&M), 8-4
No. 2 - Pollock-Chirico (Texas A&M) def. Lemke-Beidas (Pepperdine), 8-4.
No. 3 - Bain-Mike Beatty (Texas A&M) def. Moreno-Kamel (Pepperdine), 8-3.
ORDER OF FINISH
Doubles: 2,1,3
Singles: 3,4,1,2,5*,6
