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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 8, 1997)
I The Battalion PTC li 1 O Page 7 Tuesday • April 8, 1997 Lady Ags aiming for Big 12 crown Improved Lady Bears come to Aggieland today to face A&M By Kristina Buffin The Battalion The Texas A&M Women’s Tennis Team is iding the wave of success. Three quarters of the way through the 1996-97 season, the Lady Aggies are 13-2 and 6-0 in the Big 12 Conference. The Lady Aggies’ record is their best ince the 1988 season. A&M will try to im- orove upon this record against former louthwest Conference and current Big 12 ival Baylor University today at the Omar imith Tennis Center. The Lady Bears will try to knock the Lady \gs out of first place in the Big 12. Most of the Lady Aggies’ success so far an be attributed to phenomenal singles day. The Lady Ags have won 85 percent of heir singles matches, and senior Julie leahm has compiled a 15-match winning streak that tops her previous best of 12-0 from her junior campaign. A&M Head Coach Bobby Kleinecke said he is pleased with his team’s per formance and what his players have achieved beyond his ex pectations. "I knew we would have a good team this year,” Klei necke said. "Monica (San Miguel) has only lost one match this year. After being the No. 7 seed (in singles) last year, she was hungry to move up, and she has come out like a gangbuster this season. “Nancy (Dingwall) is where we wanted her, and she has had a ton of success in doubles and has a shot to break the singles record.” The singles record Kleinecke mentioned “We are still emphasizing that they have to go out and play — and play hard.” Bobby Kleinecke A&M head coach is the A&M career mark for singles victories. Dingwall is currently just six victories shy of the all-time mark held by former All-Amer ican Lynn Staley (1989-92), who tallied 92 singles victories. Dingwall became the all- time winningest doubles play er in school history against Texas Tech University Sunday. She possesses a career mark of 87-31 which tops the previous school record for career dou bles wins (86) held by Gaye Lynne Gensler (1984-88). With success comes high levels of confidence. While Kleinecke is glad the team has come together and is extremely confident right now, the coaches are trying to keep the team down to earth. “We are still emphasizing that they have to go out and play— and play hard,” Kleinecke said. The Lady Bears are off to their hottest streak in school history. Although they fell to Texas Christian University Saturday (5-4), the team has won nine of its last 11 matches. “They have a good team this year,” Klei necke said. “They are coming off a loss to TCU, but this is a crossroads for them. After we lost to TCU (earlier this season) we came out strong.” Baylor is led by their No. 1 singles player Vanessa Abel, who is 20-5, and by Carolyn Mc Grath’s seven singles wins this season, which place her in a tie with former Baylor great Sarah Chester on the all-time list. Despite the Bears’ hot streak, A&M fresh man Leslie Dees said the Lady Aggies are ready to play with anyone. “I think if we keep doing what we’ve done we will have nothing but success,” Dees said. Rony Angkriwan, The Battalion Senior Nancy Dingwall serves against Texas Tech Sunday. Doubles trouble Freshman Leslie Dees has become an \kntegral part of the A&M doubles attack By Kristina Buffin The Battalion file some teenagers who grow up in the Bryan-College Station community strive to leave the area and go to college elsewhere, others know they will attend Texas A&M Univer sity from the beginning. Leslie Dees, a freshman on the Texas A&M Women’s Tennis Team, comes from a family of Aggies and said she “bleeds maroon.” “It (being an Aggie) is kind of a family thing,’’ Dees said. “My father is a profes sor here and this was my No. 1 choice.” Dees has participated in athletics all % Rony Angkriwan, The Battaiion Leslie Dees has compiled a 10-7 doubles record with partner Kathryn Scott. her life. But at age 11a tennis racket was put in her hand and three years later she had to make a choice — what sport to concentrate on. “The fact that you can go further be yond college tennis had a lot to do with the decision,” Dees said. “I don’t par ticularly want to play beyond college but I really like the game of tennis.” Dees was the No. 1 singles and dou bles player for the Bryan Vikings and was named the team’s Most Valuable Player three times. She also was ranked in the top 10 in Texas’ SuperChampi- onships division, in all age groups in which she competed. Dees played on a successful team dur ing her freshman year as a Lady Viking. However, the last three years as a high school player, Dees had to deal with play ing on a mediocre team. “I stuck it out because it was still ten nis,” Dees said. “I just like to play and I liked the people on the team.” Although Dees was a successful singles player in high school, she has concen trated primarily on doubles thus far. Dees is teamed with fellow freshman Kathryn Scott, and they have have com piled a 10-7 record overall and a 3-3 record in the Big 12. Scott said the two played together be fore coming to A&M, which has helped them adjust to the college game. “We wanted to play together,” Scott said. “Leslie has a strong serve and we both have good hands. We can improve on our returns and the mental and phys ical aspect of the game. We will be better next season.” Dees said adjusting to the college ten nis style has not necessarily been difficult but has been a challenge. See Dees, Page 9 On top of the world Senior Beahm is having a career year with a 15-match win streak By Lara L. Zuehlke The Battalion W in after win, title after title, with a few loses in between — senior Julie Beahm, a member of the Texas A&M Women’s Tennis Team, is a coach's dream. Beahm is in the midst of a 15- game winning streak and is 6-0 in Big 12 conference play, which tops her previous streak, 12-0, last season. “I am really happy that I’ve been playing well,” Beahm said. “I’ve just been trying to play my game every match, and I’ve been lucky so far.” The Ohio native ranks as one of only two players in the history of the former Southwest Conference to win five individual tides. A&M Head Coach Bobby Klei necke said Beahm has been a consis tent player since she first walked onto the court as a freshman. "When she got here she was a lit tle tentative because she was far from home,” Kleinecke said. “It was a little overwhelming for her during her first semester. She came back after Christ mas that year and really made a big jump and was a lot more aggressive. “The next year she started playing singles. It’s not like she’s come on more now, because she’s done the same thing since she’s been here.” Beahm leads the Lady Ags in singles wins this season, posting a 21 -5 record. Kleinecke said Beahm creates sit uations on the court, which give her an edge over her opponents. “She’s a great competitor and finds a way to win — sometimes to our amazement,” Kleinecke said. “But she’s always there looking for some chance that she’s got. It’s not like she goes out there and overpowers people, but she is out there for the duration.” For the past two seasons, Beahm has joined forces with junior Vanessa Rooks to become a feisty doubles tan dem. The duo remains unbeaten in Big 12 play this season, with a 6-0 record. Rooks said she considers Beahm a mentor. “Julie and I are really good friends,” Rooks said. “I consider her a big sister, because she watches out for me and is always there for me. I look up to her, and I always will.” Rooks said she and Beahm feed off each other’s energies when they are on the court. “We keep each other positive when we are out here on the tennis court,” Rooks said. “When one of us is down, we are there for each other.” It is easy to see where Beahm’s ability comes from. Her father was a tennis pro and began teaching her as a young girl. “I started playing when I was about three years old,” Beahm said. “I would go out and watch him teach the other kids. I was jealous and wanted to go out there myself. I played in my first tournament when I was six years old.” Beahm won her first United States Tennis Association tournament a year later and her resume has grown from there. Before coming to A&M, Beahm won three national tournaments, in cluding the McDonald's Invitational, the K-Swiss Invitational and the Columbus (Ohio) Invitational. She also was named an Outstanding Woman in Sports in 1988 by the Ohio Senate. See Beahm, Page 9 m J ,41 . '% ;o;; in I msf - . if '0 - -■ f 4 (* ' * 11 » V Rony Angkriwan, The Battalion Senior Julie Beahm leads the Lady Aggies in singles wins with a 21-5 record. THEATER ARTS PROGRAM PRESENTS THE CHERRy ORCHARd by ANTON CHEkHOV RUddER FORUM Ap ri I 10-12, 16-19 8pM $6 FOR STUdFNTS $ 7 for AduIts TICI<ETS AT MSC bOX OFFICE 84 5-1 254 ArtFest 1997 juried exhibit of student artwork Entries accepted TAMU April 9 to 11 students - to n P m Jr' ft , r invited to in room 227 MSC |j CVy, ' ^ enter! $5 per entry Winning entries displayed in MSC Visual Arts Gallery Prizes awarded: * painting total value over $400 drawing best of show $60 ^ photography plus 1st, 2nd, 3rd^ computer generated in each category 4, sculpture presented by MSC Visual Arts Committee Official Rules: http:/ /vac.tamu.edu Phone: 845-9251 Email: vac@msc.tamu.edu Take Back the Night A time to bring an end to sexual violence. A time to understand how sexual violence affects all of us. A time for each of us to take a stand. Tuesday, April 15th, 7:00 p.m., 292B MSC Rally and march immediately following THE CUE 103 Boyett 846-3425 (Open 4 p.m. - 2 a.m.) $1 Well $2 Call drinks $1. 25 Longnecks ‘til 6 I I ■ ■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■! 2 for 1 2 plays for the price of 1 w/ this coupon Best Tables, Lowest Drink Prices, & Cheapest Pool Rate in Town. Come Play at the only pool hall in Northgate. Exp. 4/30/97
