University of Houston
No. 29 Texas A&M
Tennis Loses at No. 29 Texas A&M
2/3/2007 12:00:00 AM | Tennis
Feb. 3, 2007
COLLEGE STATION - The University of Houston tennis team dropped a 7-0 decision at No. 29 Texas A&M Saturday afternoon at the George P. Mitchell Tennis Center.
The Cougars (5-1) fell behind early after losing the doubles point for the first time this season. It was only the sixth time in the last 30 matches dating back to last season that Houston failed to win the doubles point.
Houston hung tough at No. 2 and No. 3 position and was down 3-2 before the Aggies surged to win five of the next six games to claim a pair of 8-3 victories. UH's freshman combination of Anna Djananova and Neila Starratt made their debut together in the No. 3 spot.
"Texas A&M is a very talented team," head coach John Severance said. "Two of their doubles teams are ranked in the Top 50 nationally. I was pleased with the way we competed. There were a few points here and there that made the difference. It was a good lesson for our team to learn."
The Cougars continued to fight after a slow start in the first sets of singles action. Leila Salek lost a hard-fought 6-2, 6-3 decision at the No. 2 slot, while Starratt tallied a 6-4 second set defeat after losing 6-0 in the opening set.
"I was disappointed in the final line score, but I was proud that we kept fighting in singles matches until the end," Severance said. "The second sets were much more productive after corrected a few mistakes."
Houston returns to Hoff Courts for a pair of matches next weekend. The Cougars square off with North Texas Friday before matching up with No. 61 Florida State Sunday.
"There are few positives that we can take from this match and move forward," Severance said. "The team knows that we have to get back to work in practice and get ready for another challenging weekend at home."
Players Mentioned
