Sports
A&M men’s tennis finishes Aggie women’s
season with win over OSU tenn i s takes two
The Battalion
Page 7 • Monday, April 26, 2004
By Kyie Davoust
THE BATTALION
The No. 23 Texas A&M
nen’s tennis team went into
Jaturday’s season finale against
'Jo. 29 Oklahoma State
Jniversity playing the best ten-
lis it had played all year. The
Aggies, who came in winning
:ight of their last nine, mim-
cked their recent play with a
ominating 6-1 victory over the
||j ’owboys at the George P.
/litchell Tennis Center.
The win was important on
aany levels for the Aggies. It not
inly kept their momentum going,
secured second place in the Big
l conference, which means
Ivoiding No. 2 Baylor University
[No. 1 Big 12) until the last round
if the Big 12 Tournament.
On an emotional level, it
;ave the Aggies’ lone senior,
am captain Khaled El Dorry, a
/in on Senior Day. Depending
if the Aggies are selected to
lost a round of the NCAA
oumament, the match could
ave been the last at home for
tie Aggies’ leader.
“What he’s put into this pro
ram is what you would hope
(tudent athletes in all programs
ould put in,” said A&M head
loach Tim Cass. “He has been
i emotional leader for our team
r three years. He really is a
roud Aggie, a great student and
| hell of a tennis player.”
On the way to the win, the
ggies accomplished something
at had been eluding them for a
hile: They won the doubles
oint. The Aggies have strug-
led in doubles play recently,
Jiich is certainly not a charac-
ristic of a team coached by
ass. The struggles have caused
ass to experiment with his
neup, even splitting up his top
am of juniors Lester Cook and
nte Matijevic. Noting it as a
iled experiment, Cass reunited
ook and Matijevic, resulting in
le Aggies winning in doubles
Evan O'Connell • THE BATTALION
Texas A&M senior Marvin Rolle returns a serve in his doubles match against Oklahoma State Saturday at the
George P. Mitchell Tennis Center. A&M beat OSU, 6-1.
for the first time in five matches.
“I think in reality that there are
seven points and that no point is
more important that the other
one. But that doubles point seems
to have a mental side to it,” Cass
said. “This team has convinced
me that you can win after losing
doubles, but I like winning the
doubles point because it puts you
in the driver’s seat.”
After gaining the point, the
Aggies quickly moved to a 2-0
advantage as freshman Bryan
Wooten continued his impressive
play by defeating OSU sopho
more Juan Felipe Diaz, 6-4, 6-1.
Shortly thereafter OSU
brought the score to 2-1, when
freshman Daniel Byrnes defeat
ed A&M freshman Brett
Joelson, 6-2, 6-4.
That, however, would be the
first and last point for the
Cowboys, as A&M’s top two
players quickly brought the
match to an end. Cook had little
trouble at court No. 1, easily
defeating junior Mark Van Elden,
6-4, 6-2. The clincher then came
when Matijevic finished off sen
ior Yev gen Bondarchuk, 6-2, 6-4,
giving the Aggies nine wins in
their last 10 matches.
“Texas A&M really came to
play today,” said OSU head
coach James Wadley. “(Cook) I
thought played very well and
very solid. He didn’t miss any
serves or returns. He hit his
forehand well, and he was pass
ing off his backhand side. And
Ante is Ante. He’s tough as a
boot. He just doesn’t lose many
sets, let alone matches.”
By Jon Gilbert
THE BATTALION
Four days after suffering its
most devastating loss in recent
memory to the University of
Texas, the Texas A&M
women’s tennis team got back
on the right track with a 7-0
shutout of the University of
Kansas Saturday at the Bryan
Tennis Center.
The Aggies (19-7, 10-1
Big 12) jumped out to a quick
start by winning
all six singles
matches. Yet
head coach
Bobby
K 1 e i n e c k e
believes his
team started out
slow against
Kansas (6-14,
4-6) and takes
the blame for it.
“We strug
gled at the start,”
Kleinecke said.
“We started out
flat, and I take
full responsi
bility for that.
After what happened against
Texas, I should have realized
that they would come out flat.
But they caught themselves
and were able to play well
enough to win the match.”
Officials chose to move the
match indoors and start the
match over an hour earlier due
to inclement weather and the
threat of a lengthy match.
A&M junior Helga Vieira
and senior Jessica Roland
helped the Aggies to a quick
lead with dominating perform
ances in singles. Vieira defeat
ed Kansas senior Emily
Haylock, 6-2, 6-1, and then
Roland toppled Kansas senior
Courtney Steinbock, 6-3, 6-1.
“The key to my game is
confidence,” Vieira said. “I
started out slow, both physical
ly and mentally, but once I got
We are just
excited for the
chance to play in
the tournament
and to get back at
Texas.
— Helga Vieira
A&M junior tennis player
into the match I was fine. I just
tried to put pressure on
(Haylock) from the beginning.”
A&M senior Roberta
Spencer showed great determi
nation in rallying back from los
ing the first set, 6-0, to win her
match with victories in the sec
ond and third sets. Junior Lauren
Walker, sophomore Nicki
Mechem and freshman Anna
Lubinsky finished off singles
with wins to clinch the match
and a 10-win conference season
for the Aggies -
the most in
A&M history.
“They’re on a
mission right
now,” Kleinecke
said. “I think
they are emo
tionally tired.
Give them a few
days and some
time to get rested
up, and they’ll
be ready to go.”
In doubles,
Roland and
Walker lost to
Kansas’
Steinbock and
her twin sister, Kristen, 8-2.
Spencer and Vieira shut out
their opponents while Mechem
and Lubinsky just fell short of
accomplishing the same feat
but still won, 8-1. A&M con
tinued to stay hot in doubles,
winning its eighth consecutive
doubles point.
“We just got beat,” said
Kansas head coach Amy
Hall. “We started off on the
right note, but A&M is a
tough team.”
After a brief rest of a little
more than two-and-a-half
hours, the Aggies took the
court against Abilene Christian
University in their final home
match of the season and won
the tune up for the conference
tournament, 4-3.
In the match, Roland,
See Tennis on page 9
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Baseball wins first
Itwo before rain out
The third game of a three-
Igame series between the Texas
A&M baseball team and the
(University of Missouri was can
celled due to inclement weather
(Sunday. The game, scheduled
for 1 p.m. at Olsen Field, will not
(be made up.
A&M (33-12, 9-8 Big 12) won
the first two games, 1-0 and 7-1,
lover Missouri Friday and
(Saturday, respectively.
In Friday’s game, A&M fresh-
Iman pitcher Jason Meyer
pitched his first complete game
put out as he allowed just seven
hits while striking out eight
[Missouri batters. A&M senior
[outfielder Cory Patton scored the
[lone run of the game with a
[home run in the second inning.
Patton would homer again in
[Saturday’s ballgame, his fifth
[home run in the last six games,
[to help the Aggies to an early 6-0
[lead over Missouri (24-16-1, 4-10)
jin the fourth inning. The Tigers
[couldn’t get to A&M junior pitcher
[Zach Jackson until the top of the
[seventh inning when they scored
[their only run of the weekend. In
[7.1 innings pitched, Jackson
[struck out 11 Tigers and allowed
[only seven hits.
A&M will host Texas State
[University at 7 p.m. Tuesday at
[Olsen Field in the final midweek
[game of the season.
A&M keeps Big 12
[win streak alive
No. 24 Texas A&M’s softball
game with the University of
iMissouri was cancelled due to rain
Sunday. The game was the sec
ond game of a two-game series
and will not be rescheduled.
A&M (30-16, 12-1 Big 12)
won the first game of the series,
2-0, Saturday at the Aggie
Softball Complex as senior
pitcher Jessica Kapchinski con
tinued her recent dominance
from the pitcher’s circle in con
ference play. Kapchinski
allowed only two hits in a com
plete game shut out, running
her record in the Big 12 to 11-1.
Her earned run average of 0.29
is the best in the conference.
The Aggies were able to get on
the board in the fourth inning
when junior right fielder Jana
James scored from second on
junior catcher Nicole Robinson’s
two-out single. James would
score again when she hit a solo
home run in the bottom of the
sixth inning.
A&M will host the University of
Texas at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at
the Aggies Softball Complex.
Taylor only Aggie
taken in NFL draft
Texas A&M senior wide receiv
er Jamaar Taylor was chosen in
the sixth round of the NFL draft
by the New York Giants Sunday.
Taylor was picked with the
168th overall pick.
Taylor was the only Aggie taken
in the draft.
It was the lowest number for
Aggies in the draft since offen
sive lineman Maurice Moorman
was selected in the first round of
the draft in 1968 by the Kansas
City Chiefs. Moorman was the
only Aggie chosen that year.
In 2003 six Aggies were
selected, including defensive
tackle Ty Warren and corner-
back Sammy Davis, both first
round selections.
After injuring his knee during
the 2003 season, Taylor recov
ered quickly after surgery in
order to work out for NFL scouts.
Evan O'Connell • THE BATTALION
Texas A&M senior outfielder Sherah Atkins slides safely into second base
past Missouri junior second baseman Heather Kunkel during A&M's 2-0
win over Missouri Saturday. The second game of the two-game series was
rained out Sunday.
Texans add to defense through NFL draft
By Mark Babinek
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
HOUSTON — The Houston
Texans’ dead-last ranking
against the pass in 2003 didn’t
escape team brass, who dedicat
ed this year’s draft to making
sure it doesn’t happen again.
After selecting a cornerback
and pass-rushing linebacker in
the first round, general manager
Charley Casserly kept with the
defensive theme Sunday, taking
defensive players with five of
the Texans’ seven picks.
“I’ve said from Day One if
players were rated even we’d
take a defensive player, because
in the past we took an offensive
player,” Casserly said.
First he drafted half the Notre
Dame secondary by taking safe
ty Glenn Earl in the fourth round
and cornerback/kick returner
Vontez Duff in the sixth. Then
for the second year in a row,
Casserly used a sixth-round pick
on a college quarterback who
won’t play that position for the
Texans when he selected
Jammal Lord from Nebraska.
Lord will learn to be a safety
in Houston. He follows last sea
son’s choice of Drew Henson, the
former Michigan star passer who
claimed to be dedicated to minor
league baseball before agreeing
this winter to a trade to the Dallas
Cowboys, who sent Houston a
third-round pick in 2005.
“I really debated whether to
announce him as a quarterback
or a safety,” Casserly said jok
ingly. “Yes, it’s a projection, but
it’s the kind of thing you take a
shot at in the sixth round and
maybe we’ll hit a home run.”
Lord, who had mixed results
as an option quarterback, has
See Draft on page 9