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The Battalion
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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
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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