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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 29, 1996)
% * Octobers' The Battalion PC Krause, Tori set to lead : By Jamie Burch tennis The Battalion mi CEieiii of ToM 4'T THE CRm )F Wr m m-m 5Alt> H11 Be i --■■ n Puerto Rico, the natives have a saying that you cannot walk off the island, you have to hit Ton oiMo'' your way off. This is the reasoning if Puerto Rican baseball players o try to improve their game in Jipes of one day playing Major ague Baseball. Robbie Krause, a senior on the 1 Ixas A&M Men’s Tennis Team, id a similar reason for leaving 'Uth Africa. Krause said he came : the United States to expose mself to better tennis. Krause grew up in Roodeport, luth Africa. He began playing hnis at the age of 7 because of Hi 1 [couragement from his parents. "I was introduced to the game r [my parents,” Krause said. "My om and dad used to play a lot. i weekends, they would put a cket in my hand so that we could end some time together as a mily. I’ve carried one ever since.” Krause lived in South Africa for years before leaving his home- nd after completing high bool. He said former A&M Head ach David Kent sold him on [eidea of coming to A&M. “I didn’t really know that much out school in America,” Krause Mid. “You could have told me l*out Texas A&M or about a Divi- n-III school and I wouldn’t have own the difference. Coach Kent Jd a really good job of selling the pool. I could tell by the amount [time that was spent on the ten- program and the amount of de- ition to the program from the Ihletic Department that it was a etty strong program. “It was nothing like what I was sed to in South Africa. Every- ling was on such a larger scale > an back home that I was taken lack initially.” Since deciding to " bme to A&M, pause has latched the higher jvel of tennis. Bursting onto the j ene as a freshman 1994, Krause pped off a stellar ar by clinching an „[ !iM victory and a lare of the South- 2st Conference li fe for the Aggies wfeliJ IT from the rest re has only bed omfortable in M ouse — an a 11 " 31 and saw w. i,” Thompsons* n the yard about' 1 it.” , . the home ind® rs and shutters : looring. mghout the bad! •eate a welconi®j| rtertainment 2 perfect settin Ryan Rogers, The Battalion Robbie Krause (left) and Carlos Tori bring international experience and leadership skills to the A&M Men's Tennis Team. “I just love to play tennis. That’s the main reason I came to the United States.” Robbie Krause A&M tennis player jitli a 5-7, 7-5, 6-1 victory over Ja il Weir-Smith of Texas Christian niversity. Krause, who led the team with .846 winning percentage, was hied the Southwest Region’s Rookie of the Year by the Intercol legiate Tennis Association with a 22-4 overall record. Kent said the arrival of Krause “turned a good team into a top 25 team.” Krause had a sol id sophomore cam paign, ranking sec ond on the team in victories for both singles (28) and doubles (22). Krause advanced to the sin gles final of the Men’s All-American Pre-Qualifying Tour nament and to the consolation bracket of the Rolex Southwest Regional Championship. Regardless of how well he is playing, Krause said he does not like to serve when he can see his own shadow. When he has a choice about the matter, Krause said he always serves into the sun to counteract- the shadow effect. After a bout with mononucleo sis sidelined him last fall, Krause posted a 21-13 singles record in the spring. Krause defeated current Big 12 foe University of Texas twice, posting a 6-0 record in conference play en route to the No. 5 singles ti tle. Krause and junior Erik Elek captured the SWC championship for No. 3 doubles at 8-6 overall and 4-2 in conference play. Krause’s consistent play has earned him respect from both teammates and coaches. “Robbie gets along with every one very well,” Elek said. “He’s a team player. He is always avail able if you need some help. He’s the guy to look for to provide leadership and to follow.” See Krause, Page 8 By Sara Duesing The Battalion T ennis players like Carlos Tori are a rare commodity. An in dividual who is successful, determined, driven and talented not only as an athlete — but as a person — is hard to come by. How ever, Tori’s teammates on the Texas A&M Men’s Tennis Team, say he is not the average tennis player. Junior Erik Elek, Tori’s doubles partner, said Tori is a strong influence on him and on the team as a whole. “[Carlos] is just a good, posi tive person,” Elek said. “He always motivates us and picks us up when we’re down.” Arriving in the United States just two years ago from Lima, Peru, the junior netter said the adjust ment, though at times difficult, has been made easier with friendships and a warm environment. “It’s hard because I don’t have any family here,” Tori said. “But Aggies are great and the guys on the team have really made the change smoother.” Last spring, Tori’s second year at A&M, he and former doubles part ner Blake Arrant finished No. 34 in doubles competition in the Rolex Collegiate Rankings. Tori was just as fortunate in singles competi tion. He finished 3-3 in the final year of the Southwest Conference, playing in the No. 2 position. A&M Head Coach Tim Cass at tributes Tori’s success to his ability to eliminate his opponents’ strengths. “Carlos is really an aggressive base-liner,” Cass said. “We’re working so that he becomes more of an all-court player, but he has done a good job of getting the ball out of his opponent’s strike zone.” Tori took up the sport at an ear ly age. He said his father’s and grandfather’s involvement in ten nis peaked his interest in the sport. When Tori’s talent began to shine through at the age of 9, he said he became addicted to com petitive play. Tori said his father is as an influential role model in his life. “It’s hard to point out one per son,” Tori said. “But my dad is nev er one to give up on life. He always finds a way to do things and I ad mire anyone who works hard for what he wants.” With the loss of three seniors from the team last season, Tori has emerged as a leader and an example for the younger players. Cass said Tori has accepted the job of being a leader, but is also enjoying the responsibility that goes along with it. See Tori, Page 8 oyees [of the* 1 the spring. ’’she: it snake again- MSC Political Forum presents: Politics of Clinton's Re-election: Clinton/Gore ‘96 State Re-election Chair Garry Mauro Texas General Land Commissioner ******* Oct. 30 6:00 pm Forsyth Gallery The views expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of MSC Political Forum, the MSC, or Texas A&M University. ■ Persons with disabilities please call 845-1515 to inform us of your special (^V needs. We request notification three (3) working days prior to the event to enable us to assist you to the best of our abilities. “Imagine a new Plasma Center on University that caters to New Donors!” ^ ^ 1 'UhU-./ij.T /—' Smartest, easiest way to ^ !j/7( earn extra money. Lie hack, ret; ly\(\ \ '-W/v4 s ‘u‘»y. or .i ust visit; then receive cash for y your time, and plasma'! Westgate Biologicals, Inc. 700 University Dr. East $25 Suite 1 1 1 $25 call for an appointment: 268-6050 Bring in this coupon and receive $25 on your first donation tDQT7 ©I All DAY, EVERY TUESDAY OF THIS WORLD! 211 University 268-DAME 919 Harvey Bd. 764-DAME Carter Creek Center 846-DAME 328 Bee. Bust) Dr. 696-DAME Page 7 Tuesday • October 29, 1996 New coach Cass uses different preparation approach with Aggies By Jamie Burch The Battalion The Texas A&M Men’s Tennis Team follows a daily schedule similar to the U.S. Army — they do more before 9 a.m. than most people do all day. The Aggies have adopted a new workout policy under first-year Head Coach Tim Cass in hopes of improving their chances to gun down future Big 12 opponents. Every weekday at 6 a.m., the Aggie netters begin their day with weightlifting and conditioning exercises. Senior Robbie Krause said the adjustment to waking up so early was tough. “Initially, getting up in the morning put you in an instant bad mood,” Krause said. “All you wanted to do at 5 or 6 p.m. was sleep, and there wasn’t any moti vation to study. Now I think it’s the best thing. If you can concen trate and be mentally tough at 6 in the morning, than 4 o’clock in the afternoon in the third set is easy in comparison.” Other than Krause, and ju niors Eric Elek and Carlos Tori, who all competed in the National Clay Court Championship in Bal- timore, Md., the Aggies have played just one tournament to its entirety this fall. A&M hosted the first annual David Kent Fall Clas sic, Oct. 11-13. The mock-dual match for mat pitted A&M against the University of Oklahoma, the University of Arkansas and Rice University. The Aggies finished 14-13 for the weekend. After seeing the squad com pete, Cass said the team per formed up to the expectations he built when taking over the head coaching reigns this summer. “They played up to the ex pectations I had when I left the University of New Mexico,” Cass said. “Our guys played really hard. Our younger guys strug gled a little bit, but that’s part of youth. But to be honest, we need them to do well if our team is going to do well. “Our depth is a little thin, so we are going to count on our younger guys to help us in high spots of the lineup. At the same time, we can’t use youth as an excuse. We know that it’s an ob- Ryan Rogers, The Battalion Freshman Gonzalo Anderson plays Friday in Corpus Christi. stacle, so we have to get them to prepare the best they can.” Krause said while it is not fair to judge the success or failures of a team after one tournament, the Aggies have made a lot of progress under Coach Cass. “The freshmen and the other guys have only played the one tournament,” Krause said. “I don’t think you can judge the freshmen after their first college tourna ment. One thing that I am happy about is that no one on the team is lacking motivation. Everyone’s fired up and no one gets down on their game. I believe that’s a trib ute to Coach Cass.” Elek said the team’s hard work this fall will help their progress in the spring. “Everybody’s in unbelievable shape,” Elek said. “Everybody’s playing well and it’s getting bet ter every week. All the extra physical fitness and playing is helping everybody a lot. I think everybody’s ready to go.” The Aggies were rained out this past weekend at the Louisiana State University Showcase. Krause defeated LSU’s Jonas Samuelson 3-6,6- 9,6-0. Freshmen Gonzalo An derson and Juan Aramburo were also victorious. See Aggies, Page 8 Take a Free Test Drive LSAT*GMAT*GRE*MCAT If you took the test today how would you score? Come find out. ■ ■ ■ .. ■ ■ Take a 2 1/2 - or 3-hour test, proctored Hke the real thing. Receive computer analysis of your test-taking strengths and weaknesses. Get strategies from Kaplan teachers that will help you ace the real exam. Don’t miss out on this cost-free, risk-free opportunity. Call 1-800-KAP-TEST to reserve your seat today! wember 9th @ 9:00 a.m. • Blocker 105 KAPLAN lORTHGAT HALLOWEEN STREET PARTY PATRICIA STREET PARKING LOT THURS., OCT. 31,1996 BROUGHT TO YOU BY BUD LIGHT AND THE NORTHGATE DISTRICT ASSOC 6:00 WOODIES 7:00 THE SUSPECTS COSTUME CONTEST 9:30 ROCKflFELLfIS