anna is tied

this is for the marbles

it all comes down to Anna

This reminds me of a match a couple years ago where they came here and won on court1 at the very end... let me look and see when that was.

they are up 6-5

FIGHT 'EM AGGIES!!!

http://www.aggieathletics.com/sports/games/boxscores/WTE_4552_texas.html

This was it. Let's return the favor, Anna!

6-5 down

6-6

6-6.

met anna before fball game with the radio pre game. very nice and personable.

[This message has been edited by tejas_ayanem (edited 4/18/2007 6:32p).]

Texas wins

bad loss for us today. still a good season, so far.

good luck in the next match.

we really needed this for the lonestar showdown

Seems like everytime we get closer and get another point, they win.

What a damn shame. The team had a conference championship in their grasp and let it go. tu wins with less talent. I think the Baylor beatdown put a lid on the season.

[This message has been edited by sharpdressedman (edited 4/18/2007 6:50p).]

well poop.
I was hoping they would pull it off.

Well if we take 1/2 a point for softball, and a point for baseball, we may be okay. How are our outdoor track teams?

Personally, I couldn't care less about the LoneStar Showdown.

The Big12 trophy, however, I wanted...

poop indeed

sharpdressedman-

Come on, youre seriously telling me that tu won with less talent? its still tu...they are still good.

Dont get down on the girls yet, theres still a lot of tennis to be played.

Seemed like Texas didn't have a good team just glancing at their record (2-7 in non-conference). Then I looked at the losses #1, #2, #3, #8, #9, #11, #19. That's a pretty stout schedule.

A&M record is pretty fat and empty.... 1 top 25 win? Tough to swallow losing all 4 three-setters yesterday. Another average season in a bad conference. Nationally, 1 sweet 16 in how many years.....?

I watched the conclusion of the final three matches when I got to the courts for the Men's match vs bu. I have to admit that I am not very knowledgable when it comes to Women's College tennis. But there were a couple of things I noticed down the stretch.

First, the matches seemed to be poorly officiated. For whatever reason officials are refusing to make the overrules this season on obvious incorret calls. Twice in the final set at #1 the ball was clearly in on the baseline and the player called it out. And twice the official in the chair allowed the call to stand. This has unfortunatly been a common theme this season. Officials refusing to correct obvious bad calls by players. They have been equal oppertunity official. Poor officiating for all.

#2 Having watched college tennis for a long time there is one thing that coaches sometimes choose to do in tight matches that causes their players to get tight and lose matches. OVER COACHING!!!! It is just a killer. When the coach gets tight and caught up in the moment he often transfers that message to the player and they get tight. The ATM coach has a fine record from what I know but he didnt help his #1 player to stay loose. In fact , I watched during a change over late in the deciding 3rd set when he got in her face imploring her vigorusly. BAD MOVE!!! Late in big matches it is impt to address your player with confidence and control. Reminding them of former successes they have had reinforces positive balance. Simple instruction is the key if you need to get a point accross. Kids playing #1 on a top 25 team know how to play the match. It is an issue of trust. Coaches need to trust their players on the court. Time for heavy teaching is during the week before the match.

#3 Texas looked to be better prepared. Cramping under yesterdays weather conditions should not be an issue. It might of cost ATM an oppertunity for victory. Proper hydration can make the difference in a match that so much emotional energy is spent.



[This message has been edited by rikochet (edited 4/19/2007 7:47p).]

Bigfoot,

Sorry to take so long to reply. I just returned from work after a 5:00 AM start this morning.

My comment regarding tu's lesser talent was based on comparative team and individual player rankings, and the word of a professional colleague of mine who is an avid tennis buff and significant financial booster of tu athletics. He told me yesterday morning that the Ags should win without great difficulty. He was candid in saying his hopes for a tu win rested largely with the psychology of A&M's players being that they usually lose to tu.

I spoke with him today, and he said again that our talent is better and A&M should have won the match 5-2 or 4-3.

Perhaps the rankings are wrong, or my friend is wrong. My disappointment is for the Aggie team, which apparrently had a great opportunity for a championship season and lost it.

Nothing will keep me from being a very strong supporter of Aggie athletics, win or lose.

sdm...there is no shame to lose a close match. Truth is there is not much that separates the group of teams from 15-50 in college tennis. Everyone has some good player and under the right conditions 50 can beat 15 or in this case 41 can beat 21.

Also, never discount the issue of rivalrys. Your friend is correct in this area. Sometimes losing can become a habit just as winning can. Talent is subjective. Texas hasn't put a healthy team on the court all season and it shows in their matches vs top ten or so opponents. Yesterday they had all of there starters in there, yet they were not close to 100%.

Finally, I recently read an article quoting your current men's tennis coach. He said that when you get to the third set of a college tennis match the talent differential means very little. He said that it comes down to the willingness of the player to fight through the fatigue and nerves . It seems that the one who can fight through it is the one who usually wins.

Seems right to me.

what do you know rocket horn is back on his knees again....can we say man crush on coach denton

rikochet-

first of all, if you know anything about tennis officiating, the number one rule of it is that you do not interject yourself into the game if not needed. While you may see a ball completely in, you have to take into account where the call was, if it was on the far side of the baseline, etc. Any good official is not going to get into the game if he or she doesnt have to, and if the call is a hard one to make, or on the far line, they are not supposed to overrule if it is not 100% CLEAR to them, not you. We up in the stands may be a little biased, but the officials are not. Sometimes we see the ball good, because we WANT to see it good.

Second, I didnt know that a coach couldnt do just that with his players. You do not know the players tendencies in certain situations, and coach K does. He has had Luby in his program for 4 years, I think he knows what she does and does not need to hear in a tight situation. Trust Coach K, he knows his tennis and his team.

SDM-
Youre right, and your friend was right too, but I still would never discount a tu team. They are always going to put up a fight.

Sucks that the girls didnt get the regular season champs, but there is still the tourney. I think they will get up for the post season and make a run in the big 12 and hopefully in the NCAA's. They are still a good team, and still have a lot of tennis in them. This team is not done.

Glad to hear that someone is still on the Aggie Tennis wagon with me. Ive been a supporter since 95 when I moved to CS and worked for BK for close to 10 years. They will come through, keep yelling, yell some for me as well, being that Im in Lubbuttocks...

Gig 'Em

Bigfoot...on the officiating it is more than just a few calls in that match that I refer to. I really think Big 12 officiating is down right now. There is just not enough qualified personel to do a good job. As for the timing or where the ball is on the court that makes no difference. If you see it differently make the call. If you can't see it than don't, however you must be prepared to make that call if necessary. The official has to be the one prepared to overrule.

As for overcoaching, there is some truth to a coaches familiarity with his players. It also goes back to the coaches personality and that of the player. Who knows? I have seen it a lot in college tennis with negative results.

[This message has been edited by rikochet (edited 4/20/2007 7:26a).]

I thought it was a very competitive match. I disagree with some of the previous posters who claim that we had so much more talent than TU. Our #1, #2, #6 who are two seniors and a junior all lost to FRESHMEN. Our #1 doubles team lost to a team that consists of 1 newcomer and a sophmore. Let's face it, as one poster earlier said those girls in Austin played a much tougher schedule then we did, and it is reflected in their record. However, I would not discount them at all and claim that our talent is so much more superior to them.

[This message has been edited by pickacurac (edited 4/20/2007 9:40a).]

Rik-

Actually, if you were an official, then you would know that it does make a difference as to where the call is on the court. Go take an official's certification course, get certified to be an umpire, and you will see. Go sit on a court and watch someone of their caliber hit, and see if you can make that call on the far sideline. They are very qualified to do the job, and if you think that its that easy, then you go out there and do it. Ive done it, you dont make a call on the far sideline. Thats what you are taught. They dont make that call in the pros. End of story.

Get a clue about officiating or shutup. You dont know what its like to sit up in a chair, so dont assume they are bad at what they do. At least, as you said, the no calls went both ways. So, you have no leg to stand on, nothing to gripe about.

Regarding officiating - Are the officials making any overrules? Rikochet you make it sound like they pretty much never make them. If so, this is poor officiating. What is the point of having them there?

I'd rather they make overrules when they are ~85% sure versus just sitting there with the best seat in the house. If they never make an incorrect overrule, then they are probably not doing their job. No officialy is perfect, but if they aren't trying to control the calls, they shouldn't be there.

as a player i disagree....most of the umpires are at least 50+ years old and I dont want them changing calls if they are 85% sure...the players who are used to seeing the balls at that speed have a tendency to make the correct call more than anyone in the stands watching or the umpires...dont read this the wrong way bc i know they are several bad calls a match, and some teams are a lot worse at doing this but in those cases where its a blatant hook on a big point and the umpire has a clear view then they step in....but most of the calls you see in the stands are correct and the player is right, they are closer to the ball and their eyes are trained to see shots at that speed, unlike the spectators in the stands who want the ball to be in....the only way i want umpires calling the balls is if there are linesmen umpires on the singles line and base line...the problem is its too expensive to hire an additional 3 refs per court....

Thanks Cory. Always good to get your insight. As a former college player (not quite at your level), I totally agree. Hope youre doing well.