Credit to Sam Thornton | Assistant Director, Athletics Communications – 12thman.com
BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The No. 2 Texas A&M women’s tennis team went down to the wire to claim a 5-2 victory over the No. 4 Georgia Bulldogs Sunday at the Mitchell Tennis Center. The Aggies extended their 13-match win streak this season and 25-match streak in SEC dual matches as they knocked off their second top-10 opponent this year.
The Aggies (21-1, 9-0 SEC) showed resilience from the start, coming from behind to take the early doubles point. Georgia (15-4, 8-1 SEC) struck first as it claimed court 5, but the Maroon & White countered through No. 46 Jayci Goldsmith/Salma Ewing, as the pair outlasted Dasha Vidmanova/Ania Hertel (6-4) on court 1. The point came down to Mia Kupres/Mary Stoiana on court 3, and the duo did not disappoint as it bested No. 31 Guillermina Grant/Mai Nirundorn (6-3).
No. 120 Goldsmith carried A&M’s momentum into singles, as she breezed by No. 57 Anastasiia Lopata (6-3, 6-2) to double the lead. The Bulldogs leveled the score, as they claimed both courts 5 and 6. No. 3 Stoiana regained the advantage, outlasting No. 8 Lea Ma in a top-10 ranked singles match on court 1 (6-4, 7-6(7)). With the match coming down to the wire, it was once again standout freshman No. 100 Kupres clinching the match for the Aggies in a third set tiebreaker over No. 60 Mell Reasco (7-6(3), 3-6, 7-6(1)). Rounding out the wins for the Maroon & White was Ewing, as she outlasted No. 10 Vidmanova in another third set tiebreaker on court 2 (7-5, 5-7, 7-6(5)).
COACH’S QUOTES
Head coach Mark Weaver on today’s matchup…
“That was one of the best college tennis matches I have ever been a part of, and I’ve been doing this for a really long time. It was high-quality tennis from both teams, and I thought the sportsmanship was great today. It was really high stakes, and I was really proud of all the hard work they put in, and it certainly showed it’s worth out there today.”
PLAYER’S QUOTES
Mia Kupres on clinching today’s matchup…
“It was such an amazing feeling I can’t even describe it. I was so tense because of how important the match was, and everything through the match being down, up and then almost having it and letting it go, then finally, being able to clinch it for the team was so great.”
Salma Ewing on claiming the final match…
“This was really huge for me, and I couldn’t do it without my team, coaches and the fans, as everyone was supporting me. I just wanted to do if for them, and so I just kept fighting for every point and no matter how hard it got I just kept pushing myself.”
UP NEXT
The Aggies host a pair of conference matches at the Mitchell Tennis Center versus No. 37 Vanderbilt and No. 72 Ole Miss, April 7 and 9, respectively.
MATCH RESULTS
Singles Results
No. 3 Mary Stoiana (15-1) Def. No. 8 Lea Ma (6-4, 7-6(7))
Salma Ewing (10-7) Def. No. 10 Dasha Vidmanova (7-5, 5-7, 7-6(5))
No. 100 Mia Kupres (16-1) Def. No. 60 Mell Reasco (7-6(3), 3-6, 7-6(1))
No. 120 Jayci Goldsmith (15-3) Def. No. 57 Anastasiia Lopata (6-3, 6-2)
Meg Kowalski Def. No. 101 Daria Smetannikov (11-4) (6-2, 6-3)
Guillermina Grant Def. Jeanette Mireles (10-2) (0-6, 6-4, 6-1)
Doubles Results
No. 46 Jayci Goldsmith/Salma Ewing (16-4) Def. Dasha Vidmanova/Ania Hertel (6-4)
Mary Stoiana/Mia Kupres (3-0) Def. No. 31 Guillermina Grant/Mai Nirundorn (6-3)
No. 44 Meg Kowalski/Mell Reasco Def. Daria Smetannikov/Gianna Pielet (1-1) (6-1)
MATCH STATS
- Mia Kupres leads the team with 16 dual match singles wins.
- Kupres leads the Aggies in singles winning percentage .941 (Min. 10 dual matches played).
- In singles, court 3 holds the highest winning percentage at .944.
- Jayci Goldsmith/Salma Ewing lead the Maroon & White with 16 dual match doubles wins.
- In doubles, court 1 holds the highest winning percentage at .895.
- The Aggies boast a .938 winning percentage versus ranked opponents this season.
- The Maroon & White boast a 17-1 record in ranked doubles matches.
NOTABLE STREAKS
- A&M is currently on a 13-match win streak.
- The Aggies are on a 25-match unbeaten run in the SEC, following their undefeated conference schedule last season.
- The Maroon & White have won 49 consecutive matches when playing outdoors.
- Mary Stoiana is on a 10-match winning streak, which leads the team.
TEAM NOTES
- A&M has only allowed 20 points to its opposition all season when the Aggies win the match.
- The Maroon & White have lost only one match on court 3 this season.
- The Aggies have won 15 ranked matches this season, nine of those have been the top-25.
- A&M has lost only three doubles points through 22 dual matches.
- The Maroon & White have swept nine opponents this season.
ITA RANKINGS
- The team boasts six singles players and three doubles pairs in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association rankings.
- Ranked in singles: No. 3 Mary Stoiana, No. 54 Carson Branstine, No. 90 Gianna Pielet, No. 100 Mia Kupres, No. 101 Daria Smetannikov and No. 120 Jayci Goldsmith.
- Ranked in doubles: No. 3 Stoiana/Branstine, No. 42 Goldsmith/Stoiana and No. 46 Salma Ewing/Goldsmith.
AWARDS
- Mary Stoiana has been awarded SEC Player of the Week honors four times this season: Feb. 1, March 1, March 8 and March 29.
- Mia Kupres was awarded SEC Freshman of the Week honors four times this season: Feb. 15, March 1, March 15 and March 22.