News release from Texas A&M Athletics:
TEMPE, Ariz. – Mary Stoiana, the reigning Intercollegiate Tennis Association National Player of the Year, headlined a group of five Aggies spangling the initial ITA Top 100 for the 2024-25 campaign, released Tuesday. The Texas A&M women’s tennis team also had three tandems in the doubles top 60.
Stoiana tops the singles rankings as the No. 1 player in the country for the second year in a row, a position she held onto for the most of the 2023-24 season. Nicole Khirin cracked the top ten for the first time in her career, notching the No. 9 spot and making the Maroon & White the only team in the NCAA with two players inside the singles top 10. Mia Kupres reached the highest ranking of her career as the No. 20 player in the country. Texas A&M was also the only squad to have three players in the top 20. Rounding out the singles rankings are No. 68 Lucciana Perez and No. 90 Jeanette Mireles.
Texas A&M was one of five schools to lead the way with three pairs named in the doubles top 60. Stoiana/Kupres begin the year ranked No. 2 in the nation. The pair went 28-7 last season and gained acclaim doubles All-Americans as well as earning NCAA Tournament Team All-Doubles. Perez/Lexington Reed checked in at No. 31 while Mireles/Khirin were slotted in at No. 55.
Last season Stoiana became the first Aggie to claim ITA National Player of the Year, following a standout junior campaign. Along the way she earned a bevy of awards, including the Honda Award, NCAA Tournament MVP, NCAA All-Tournament Team in singles and doubles, All-America distinction in singles and doubles and her second consecutive SEC Player of the Year award.
Khirin was named Texas Region ITA Player to Watch for the upcoming 2024-25 season, following an impressive debut campaign for the Maroon & White. The sophomore concluded her season with a 28-7 singles record and was 20-11 in doubles play. Khirin garnered an array of honors throughout this season, including being named to the NCAA All-Tournament Team for singles and doubles and earning All-SEC First Team honors. The Rishon LeZion, Israel, native reached a high of No. 14 in the ITA singles ranks during her debut season in Aggieland and looks to climb the ranks further in her second year at A&M.
Kupres is coming off an All-American campaign in doubles. She also claimed NCAA All-Tournament doubles distinction a year ago. Kupres logged a 23-11 singles mark and teamed with Stoiana to go 28-7 in doubles action. She enjoyed success in the 2022-23 season, going 19-4 in singles and 19-5 in doubles, including 12-2 teamed with Stoiana, as she earned All-SEC Second Team and SEC All-Freshman Team recognition. Kupres was a five-time SEC Freshman of the Week.
Perez took the collegiate scene by storm as a freshman, she accumulated a record of 37-18, going 22-7 in singles and 15-11 in doubles. She received NCAA All-Tournament Team distinction for both singles and doubles, was named SEC Freshman of the Year and added to the All-SEC Second Team and All-Freshman Team for her performance throughout the year. The rookie started the season No. 3 in the ITA Newcomer ranks and was listed at No. 74 in doubles at the end of the year with partner Carson Branstine.
Mireles tallied a 23-13 mark in singles action, ranging from No. 4 to No. 6 in the SEC lineup. She played stellar in the postseason, earning SEC All-Tournament Team and NCAA All-Tournament Team in doubles. She was 15-13 in doubles action, but proved to be strong during the national championship run, teaming with Khirin to go 3-1. She posted a 22-6 singles mark in 2022-23, with a 14-4 record in dual match play. Mireles notched an 18-9 record in singles play as a freshman in 2021-22, including 12-5 in dual action.
Reed was ranked as the No. 8 player in the most recent class by the Tennis Recruiting Network, earning 5-star blue chip recruit recognition. She has earned a pair of 15k doubles titles and three 15k singles semifinals appearances. She was a doubles finalist at both the Orange Bowl and Easter Bowl.