LOS ANGELES – Following multiple weather delays, Texas A&M women’s tennis returned to the court on Sunday and registered an impressive 4-1 victory against the Washington State Cougars on the first day of ITA Kickoff Weekend at the Los Angeles Tennis Center. The Aggies improve to 3-0 to start the season, while Washington State falls to 0-1 in defeat.
The Maroon & White stormed out of the gates in the doubles competition, as the No. 39 ranked duo of Tatiana Makarova and Jayci Goldsmith quickly logged a 6-1 win over Michaela Bayerlova and Hikaru Sato. Riley McQuaid and Jessica Anzo followed quickly with a 6-2 victory on court three against Fifa Kumhom and Pang Jittakoat, securing the doubles point and putting the Aggies ahead 1-0. Katya Townsend and Renee McBryde held a 5-2 lead over Melisa Ates and Yang Lee but remained unfinished after the doubles point was secured.
The match proceeded with singles play, as Townsend contributed the Aggies second point of the match by defeating Kumhom, 6-1, 6-1. Washington State tightened the match by winning at the No. 1 singles line, but Goldsmith responded with a 6-4, 6-2 result against Sato to place the Aggies one point shy of the victory. A&M called on McBryde to close out the match, as the Wollongong, Australia, native defeated Jittakoat 6-1, 6-1 on court four to clinch the win, as the Aggies would run away with a 4-1 result.
McBryde’s clinch victory was her first this season, as the junior’s overall singles record improves to 6-1 since re-joining the team in January. Meanwhile, Goldsmith’s wins in singles and doubles play saw her individual records climb to 5-1 in singles and 7-2 in doubles. The Aggies No. 39 ranked doubles team of Goldsmith and Makarova improve to 7-1 this season.
Since Mark Weaver took the helm of the A&M program in 2015-16, his teams have never lost in the opening round of ITA Kickoff Weekend. The Aggies have advanced to the ITA National Women’s Team Indoor Championships twice in Weaver’s tenure, last during the 2016-17 season.
UP NEXT
Texas A&M women’s tennis remains in Los Angeles for the conclusion of the 13th annual ITA Kickoff Weekend and will take on the winner of No. 2 UCLA vs. No. 19 California for a chance to advance to the ITA National Women’s Team Indoor Championships in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
POSTMATCH QUOTES
TEXAS A&M QUOTES
Head Coach Mark Weaver
On dealing with weather delays before today’s match…
“It’s been a pretty wild two days here. Yesterday looked pretty bad for the most part weather wise, and when we finally got ready to start warming up we began to see the sun, but as soon as the sun came through it started pouring down rain again. Even though there was no rain today, it’s always a really tough time getting the courts dry, so there were a few delays. One of the things I always try and tell the girls is that we need to control what we can control, and that applied today. We have to be ready for anything.”
On the team’s performance against Washington State…
“At the end of the day, we did very well, but it was a bit strange. We won the doubles point and we were feeling really good about ourselves, and then we find out that the bottom three courts weren’t playable because of the rain from yesterday. It really threw a kink into our rhythm, but we handled it really well.”
TENNIS MATCH RESULTS
Texas A&M 4, Washington State 1
Los Angeles Tennis Center – Los Angeles, Calif.
Singles Competition
1. Michaela Bayerlova (WSU) def. #64 Tatiana Makarova (TAMU) 6-3, 6-1
2. Jayci Goldsmith (TAMU) def. Hikaru Sato (WSU) 6-4, 6-2
3. Katya Townsend (TAMU) def. Fifa Kumhom (WSU) 6-1, 6-1
4. Renee McBryde (TAMU) def. Pang Jittakoat (WSU) 6-1, 6-1
5. Riley McQuaid (TAMU) vs. Savanna Ly-Nguyen (WSU) 6-2, 1-2, unfinished
6. Jessica Anzo (TAMU) vs. Melisa Ates (WSU) 6-5, unfinished
Doubles Competition
1. #39 Tatiana Makarova / Jayci Goldsmith (TAMU) vs. Michaela Bayerlova / Hikaru Sato (WSU) 6-1
2. Katya Townsend / Renee McBryde (TAMU) vs. Melisa Ates / Yang Lee (WSU) 5-2, unfinished
3. Riley McQuaid / Jessica Anzo (TAMU) def. Fifa Kumhom / Pang Jittakoat (WSU) 6-2
Order of Finish: Doubles (1,3); Singles (3,2,1,4)
POSTMATCH NOTES
TEAM NOTES
After the win, Texas A&M improves to 3-0 to open the season. The Maroon & White have started 3-0 every season since 2015-16.
In defeat, Washington State falls to 0-1.
Since the 2015-16 season, Texas A&M has not lost in the opening round of ITA Kickoff Weekend play. The Aggies hold a 6-1 record in the tournament during that period.
The last time Texas A&M defeated an opponent by a score of 4-1 happened on Feb. 14, 2020, when the Aggies defeated Illinois at the George P. Mitchell Tennis Center.
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
Jayci Goldsmith logged wins in both singles and doubles play against the Cougars, climbing to 5-1 in singles and 7-2 in doubles. The Dripping Springs, Texas, native is 7-1 when paired with Tatiana Makarova, as the duo ranks No. 39 nationally.
Katya Townsend earned a straight-set victory in the singles competition, elevating her record to 9-3 in singles matches this season.
Renee McBryde recorded the clinch victory in Sunday’s match, her first of the season. She improves to 6-1 in singles play.
Riley McQuaid helped to secure the doubles point while paired with Jessica Anzo. McQuaid climbs to 9-2 in overall doubles with a 3-0 record alongside Anzo.
Tatiana Makarova won the first doubles match of the day alongside Jayci Goldsmith. Her individual doubles record rises to 12-1 in the 2020-21 season.
Mark Weaver’s career record as a head coach climbs to 92-47 since joining the Aggies in 2015-16. His teams have never lost in the first round of ITA Kickoff Weekend.
Story courtesy of Texas A&M Athletics