After coming off a 5-2 win against UT-Arlington on Tuesday, the men’s tennis team continues its road trip at non-conference rival No. 12 Texas A&M tonight.

Head coach David Roditi said the team has one of the toughest schedules, especially considering non-conference opponents. He purposely scheduled the A&M match following Wichita State and UT-Arlington so the team could build momentum. Freshman Will Stein said he agreed the past two matches have helped the team to gain momentum.

Stein said his feelings toward the A&M match were slightly different than the rest of the team. Stein has a family connection because both of his parents are A&M graduates and his cousin is a current Aggie baseball player.

“It’s been a big part of me growing up. Now that I’m at TCU and we played them in some matches in the fall, that kind of love for A&M has faded a lot,” Stein said. “It’s not that I hate them, but I definitely want to beat them.”

He said he does not feel additional pressure playing against A&M but it is more enjoyable, especially when he can rub a win in his parents’ faces. 

Last spring, the Aggies beat the Horned Frogs 7-0 in regular season play.

“We’ve had over the last 20-30 years a huge rivalry in tennis with A&M. Maybe they’ve done a little better job than we have but I expect a big crowd on Friday,” Roditi said.

For only the second time, the team will be competing outdoors.

Roditi said the team is going to have to do a better job adapting to the outdoor elements. He said he has not been able to talk to the team enough about specific strategies to deal with the wind.

“It’s a tough environment there. We have nothing to lose,” Roditi said. “They beat us pretty good in the fall, so this is a chance for us to show we’ve improved from the fall.”

TCU vs. Texas A&M

When: 6 p.m. tonight
Where: College Station