No. 19 Aggies Advance to Second Round of NCAA Tournament – Texas A&M Athletics

FORT WORTH, Texas – The No. 19 Texas A&M men’s tennis team advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament following a win over American Athletic Conference Champions No. 48 SMU (4-1) at the Bayard H. Freidman Tennis Center Friday afternoon.
 
Facing a deficit after doubles, captain No. 46 Noah Schachter lit a spark for the Aggies at the start of singles play. Returning from injury for one final NCAA Tournament run, he put on an impressive display on court 2 dominating SMU’s Liam Krall (6-3, 6-1), knotting the teams at one.
 

The Maroon & White continued their momentum with two quick strikes, the first from No. 123 Trey Hilderbrand on court 5. The graduate transfer bested Julian Steinhausen in straight sets (6-3, 6-1), which gave A&M the lead, 2-1. Guido Marson was the next to strike, as he claimed victory over former teammate Pranav Kumar on court 4 (6-4, 6-2), leaving the Aggies one point from victory (3-1).
 
With advancement to the NCAA second round on the line, it was senior Pierce Rollins who secured the win for the Maroon & White. He downed Antonio Muniz-Hidalgo on court 3 (6-3, 6-4), punching A&M’s ticket to the next round.
 
COACH’S QUOTES
Head Coach Steve Denton on today’s match …
“I’m really proud of how the guys responded after losing the doubles point. We came out fast and aggressive in singles which really showed across the courts. Now we need to rest up and prepare for tomorrow.”
 
UP NEXT

The Aggies return to the Bayard H. Freidman Tennis Center Saturday, May 6 for the second round of the NCAA Tournament. A&M will face the winner of the No. 2 TCU and UT Arlington with a trip to the round of 16 on the line. The match is slated to begin at 4 p.m.
 
STREAMING
Fans can also catch the action through Cracked Racquets Cross Court Coverage.
 
MATCH RESULTS
Singles Matches
(TAMU) No. 53 Raphael Perot – (SMU) No. 70 Adam Neff (3-6, 6-2, 0-0) unfinished
(TAMU) No. 46 Noah Schachter Def. (SMU) Liam Krall (6-3, 6-1)
(TAMU) Pierce Rollins Def. (SMU) Antonio Muniz-Hidalgo (6-3, 6-4)
(TAMU) Guido Marson Def. (SMU) Pranav Kumar (6-4, 6-2)
(TAMU) No. 110 Trey Hilderbrand Def. (SMU) Julian Steinhausen (6-3, 6-1)
(TAMU) JC Roddick – (SMU) Louis Cloud (5-7, 0-4) unfinished
 
Doubles Matches
(SMU) No. 77 Adam Neff/Pranav Kumar Def. (TAMU) Trey Hilderbrand/Noah Schachter…