Volume 6, No. 3

NEW FACES GOING PLACES Newcomers to A&M tennis team have Aggies pointing to good times ahead By Homer Jacobs

While seniors Shuon Madden, Dumitru Caradima and Cody Hubbell may be the flag bearers of Texas A&M’s men’s tennis team, the Aggies’ chances of raising a Big 12 championship banner or, better yet, an NCAA championship trophy may rest in the backhands and forehands of a trio of 18-year-olds.

Ryan Newport, Tres Davis and Nathan Price are barely off the junior tennis circuit, yet all three could be the keys to the fifth-ranked Aggies reaching unprecedented heights at the NCAA Championships this May in Athens, Ga.

On the women’s side of the A&M Tennis Center, coach Bobby Kleinecke’s team has been bolstered significantly by newcomers, as well. In fact, four new faces have jumped into the singles and doubles lineups, with two true freshmen and two transfers making big impacts on a rapidly-improving A&M squad.

And with both teams already being ranked this year, with the men moving up to No. 5 in the latest ITA poll and the women reaching No. 25 in late February, it appears A&M tennis could have one of the biggest upsides of any sport on the big campus.

"I think probably one of the most exciting things so far this season are the young (players) in both programs, girls and guys," men’s coach Tim Cass says. "I think the future looks bright."

PEACH-FUZZED PLUMS FOR THE MEN

Sophomore Ryan Newport’s transformation into the Aggies’ rock-solid No. 2 singles player and No. 2 doubles ace with partner Tres Davis can be traced back to a cold February match with LSU.

Nathan Price has been a real weapon as a true freshman from Tulsa, Oklahoma.

In that classic battle between two ranked rivals, the Aggies’ 20-match win streak at home was in serious jeopardy. With the dual match tied at 3, Newport’s singles match became the deciding point with all the pressure of a May match-up in Athens.

Newport rallied to send the match into a tie-breaker and won it 7-5 on a brilliant return of serve for a winner down the line. Newport admitted to having shaky legs in the third set, but his nerves settled down to give the Aggies one of the biggest wins of the year.

Ironically, it was a year ago in which Newport arrived as a mid-term freshman from Cy-Fair High School and was forced into the deciding match in the round of 16 at the NCAA Tournament. However, Newport was unable to win that match in three sets, and the Aggies were sent packing by the Tennessee Volunteers.

Now, "Newp" could be one of the hottest singles players in the A&M lineup, it not in the country.

"The next generation really is Tres, Ryan, Nathan and Khalid (El Dorry)," Cass said. "I think they’re playing a major role thus far. Coming in as a freshman is an extreme adjustment. Ryan just turned 18, so they’re all 18 years old. Ryan learned a lot because he graduated high school early and had a season to experience some things.

"Right now, he’s been asked to play in the two or three position, and he looks like he wants to take that challenge. Our team needs for him to take that challenge."

With everyone’s All-American, Shuon Madden, headed for the pro circuit next year, and Dumitru Caradima and Cody Hubbell exhausting their eligibilities this spring, as well, Newport likely will assume the No. 1 singles role next season. It will be a year in which the Aggies’ youngsters of 2001 will be asked to lead A&M into the 2002 NCAA Championships, hosted by Texas A&M next spring.

"Our goal is to be consistent year in and year out," added Cass, whose team will be the favorite to win its first outright regular season crown in the Big 12. "In our particular case, we’re going to lose an awful lot. But what we have to tell Shuon, Dumitru and Cody is that one of their greatest challenges this year is to try to teach these young guys what they’ve learned over these four years and how proud they are to have done what they’ve done and how excited they are to turn it over to them."

Tres Davis came to A&M with a legendary junior career, having played the four Grand Slams.

Perhaps no one exudes more youthful excitement on the men’s side than mid-term enrollee Nathan Price of Tulsa (Union). Price wasn’t even on the fall roster, having tested the waters of the minor league pro circuit.

But Cass convinced Price he could hone his game in Aggieland, and since his arrival on campus in January, Price has deepened an already cavernous roster in scary fashion.

As of early March, Price had not lost a dual match and had won some of the most important dual matches of the season. In a two-week span, Price rallied to win three-set thrillers against Texas, No. 1 UCLA and Miami.

Suddenly, Price was known more for his true grit than being a true freshman.

"For Nathan to come in here in January, and he’s undefeated in dual matches to this point," Cass said. "I would say that’s a pretty good start after six weeks in campus."

Price is a baseline banger, and he could be a pivotal point for the Aggies when the rigors and humidity of a postseason run take over.

"I have a thing for the dramatic right now," Price said with a laugh. "I’ll win them in straight sets eventually. It’s been an exciting experience, and everything has happened pretty quick."

Tres Davis came to the A&M program with one of the strongest pedigrees for tennis in school history. Davis, who had played junior Grand Slam tournaments all over the world, is another true freshman anchoring the bottom of the singles lineup, while teaming with Newport to form one of the premier doubles teams in the region.

"They are what I consider to be the two best American doubles players to come out in the country last year," Cass said.

Davis was known as a doubles specialist on the junior circuit, but his singles numbers at the No. 5 and 6 spots have been equally impressive. Heading into top-five matchups with TCU and Duke, Davis had lost just twice all spring in dual singles matches. Victories against Virginia Commonwealth, last year’s national runner-up, LSU and Florida highlighted his quick start.

So the Aggies are positioning themselves for a run at a Big 12 title and deep surge into the NCAA Tournament. Veteran leadership with Madden is obvious, but it could be the infusion of young talent that takes the soaring Aggies to another level.

"I think we’re one of five or seven teams in the country that have that shot, that are national contenders," Price said. (UCLA) is No. 1, and we were so close to beating them. It was just a few points here and there. They went on to win (the ITA Team Indoors), which surprised me. But it just shows how close we are. In a few more months, we’ll see if we can get a rematch with them."

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